Elena and the Pledge
by John Reed
Summary: As TV season 1 ends, Elena finds herself trying to keep her friends and family safe. This combines the "Vampires and Witches and Elena" group of stories into one story with minor improvements-the basic story remains the same. Beta by PeachieX & aj81writig
1. The Warning and the Promise

_I don't take advice very often, but it was suggested to me that I repost these chapters as one story. So here we go (I can always pull the plug later if I do not like what this is becoming...)_

_If you have read all of the Vampires and Witches and Elena group of stories from the beginning, you can skip this - this (should it continue to the end) will just be those chapters reposted in order, perhaps with a few improvements (spelling or whatever) and different chapter names, but no real changes to the actual story._

_Like anything I do, play if you want. When this story began, we had almost nothing on Katherine, so she has not turned out exactly the way she did in the show. But I suppose that is the fun in all of this. Still, she is getting more and my like "my" Katherine in the show..._

_So vamonos or kapshida or (if you prefer American) let's get it on..._

The Encounter

This story starts where the last episode of TV season one left off...

Elena heard the noise in the kitchen and instinctively walked in that direction. Before she reached the door, however, she felt his hand over her mouth and heard a brief "Shh". He didn't try to hide himself. She knew it was Damon.

She froze. She felt some fear rise in her, even though she had come to trust him recently. She did not know what he was doing or what the noise was - she had only heard a thump. Now there was a voice – her voice it seemed –from the kitchen.

"You know I know you're there. Both of you. Bring her in Damon."

Damon was sure now that it was Katherine he had talked to and kissed just minutes before. Maybe he had known before. Maybe that was why he had stayed nearby when she went inside with Jenna.

He dropped his hand from Elena's mouth, but made sure she saw his finger raised to his lips. He briefly considered keeping her behind him, but knew it wouldn't matter. He did put his arm around her as they entered side by side. He thought she might pull away from him, but she didn't.

Elena gasped briefly as she saw her Uncle John's body lying on the kitchen floor. She stared at it only for a second before her eyes moved to the vampire standing above him, knife in hand. She was speechless as the realization that it was Katherine set in. Damon held her tightly.

Katherine didn't look up from John's body as she spoke. "Finally we meet, Elena. Pity the circumstance."

Elena was in shock or fear – she wasn't sure. "You killed my father." Her voice was much calmer than she would have expected.

"She knows" Katherine said, finally pulling her eyes from the body and looking at Damon.

Damon nodded slightly, eyes on Katherine. "She knows."

"Am I ... next?" Elena asked, her voice breaking this time.

Damon nudged her, his eyes still fixed on Katherine. "Elena! Don't," he whispered.

Katherine was looking at the body again. She only shook her head and smiled. Finally she turned to Elena, "I didn't come here to hurt you."

"He's my father." Elena repeated. "How could it not hurt me?"

"Don't pretend. We both know he had no redeeming qualities."

"And yet you sent him here." Damon said, finally speaking.

Katherine's eyes moved to Damon. "I did, though I thought you might take care of him. You didn't, so I had to take matters into my own hands."

"And my mother?" Elena asked.

"Isobel still lives, though you might be interested to know that it was she who told John to kill Stefan and Damon along with the others." Katherine's demeanor turned icy cold. "That's where they crossed the line. "

Elena gasped again. Damon, who continued to hold one arm around her, hugged her tightly.

Katherine spoke to Damon again. "You trusted a witch because of Elena?"

"You know as well as I do that we're both alive because of Emily Bennett. I thought we could trust her descendent."

Katherine started to walk towards Elena. Damon tensed.

Katherine looked at Damon with exasperation "Damon, you know I'm not here to hurt her. I have had countless chances to kill her, yet she is fine."

Katherine kept moving until she faced Elena, who tried to stay calm. "You trust the witch, but she lied to you. And your boyfriend, both of your boyfriends, almost died."

"Bonnie saved them." Elena retorted, then quickly added "and Damon is not my..."

"You saved them." Katherine interrupted. "She would have let them die. You need to remember that."

Elena defended her friend. "She was trying protect the town."

"At the cost of the Salvatores? Is that a price you're willing to pay? If they die here, there will be nothing between me and the destruction of Mystic Falls."

Elena could only stare into her cold eyes.

"Is it true that you knew where I was and didn't care?" Damon asked into the silence?

"Who told you that?" Katherine asked, turning towards him.

"Pearl's daughter - Anna."

Katherine turned back to Elena. "Another death caused by the witch's treachery. And what was Anna's crime? Being who she was. Who Stefan is. Who I am."

"Katherine, answer my question." Damon insisted.

The other vampire looked at him again. "What does it matter? You've shown me your feelings for Elena."

"I knew it was you." Damon said, though sounding like he was trying to convince himself.

"Oh? And how did you know that?"

"Elena would have hit me. Again," Damon admitted.

"What did you do?" Elena asked Damon.

Katherine didn't let Damon respond. Instead she turned on Elena. "I don't know what game you're playing with Stefan and Damon, but you need to remember that long after you're dead and buried, they will be here. And so will I."

Elena looked back to Damon, but couldn't read his expression. "I'm not playing a…"

Katherine interrupted. "Your aunt is coming. Oh and your brother is upstairs committing suicide."

She started to leave, but turned back and spoke to Damon just before she went through the door. "If Anna told you that, Damon, she was only half right."

Damon turned quickly to Elena, who seemed stunned, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "Get Jenna and take care of Jeremy. I'll clean up after Katherine."

* * *

The Promise

Elena found herself looking for Damon a couple of days after the encounter with Katherine. Though he often seemed to just turn up around her, she sought him out this time - she wanted to talk to him on her terms. She found him at the Grill, sitting alone at the bar.

"You come to me without Stefan?" Damon asked her as she sat next to him.

"I have nothing to fear from you." she said.

Damon turned to her. "Finally figure that out?"

"It wasn't always true, Damon."

Damon faced away from her again. "If you think back, Elena, I think you will realize that it has always been true."

Elena didn't want to argue with him. She decided to get her task over with quickly. "Bonnie talked to Stefan. She told him if you killed another innocent person, she would destroy you, even if he gets in the way."

Damon's face turned hard. "Innocent person. Innocent in whose mind? Like the Mayor? Like Anna - who your brother loved? Who did she hurt? Does he know what the witch did?"

It caught her off guard. She could only say "Damon, I'm just passing the warning along."

"And what did my brother tell her?"

Elena let a breath escape. "I don't know. I didn't want to know."

"Do you remember who it was who was last chasing an innocent girl? Could it have been Stefan?"

She knew he was right, but wasn't going to admit it. "Damon…"

Damon turned towards her with a hard expression as he interrupted. "No Elena! You care about Stefan, and so do I. There are not a lot of people I care about, but I can tell you that none of you will be hurt because I trust the witch again."

"I know, Damon. I don't know why she did it. I don't know what to say."

Damon looked at his drink. "Katherine wasn't kidding when she said Bonnie could not be trusted."

This brought another worry to Elena. She hadn't mentioned Katherine's return to Stefan, but did not know if Damon had.

"Where is Katherine? Do I need to worry about her too?" Elena asked.

Damon looked like he was considering his reply. He turned back to face her again, his face showing no emotion.

"I haven't seen her. I don't know. I think you can believe her when she says she doesn't mean you any harm – for now at least. I'm more concerned about Bonnie."

"Damon, she's my friend. She saved you."

Damon's face turned hard again. "Katherine was right. You saved me. She lied and she didn't care who was hurt."

"Damon, she was just trying to protect the town." Elena began.

"Which doesn't include us?"

"Damon…"

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Elena." Damon interrupted. "But if I didn't trust her before, I absolutely do not trust her now. You've accused me of not caring about who gets hurt. Do you really think she cares?"

"I won't let it come to that point again," Elena promised. "No one will be hurt, even if I'm wrong." She paused briefly before asking, "Could Katherine really destroy the town like she said?"

Damon nodded. "She could and she she would. She doesn't make idle threats. She wasn't lying."

Elena laughed to herself. "Finally. A vampire that doesn't lie."

Damon let out a breath and looked into her eyes. "Doesn't lie? You mean a vampire that doesn't try to protect you? You mean a vampire that doesn't love you."

Elena looked down at her hands. "I love … I love Stefan." But Damon could hear the hesitation.

His next words brought her eyes back to his. "Yes you do. And I love Katherine. But we both know that they aren't the only ones we love."

Damon looked at her intently. Elena finally lowered her eyes again. "I've asked you not to look at me like that."

Damon sighed. "There's a choice to be made, Elena, but we don't have to choose today."

"I choose Stefan," she said softly, barely looking at him.

Damon stared at her a moment, shook his head and said "Honestly Elena, I don't know what you see in him."

When she did not respond, he added "But I know what he sees in you, and if I ever hear of something out there trying to hurt you, I will be between it and you."

Damon turned and walked away. Elena could only stare at him as he left.


	2. The Teacher and the Vampires

What the Teacher Saw 

Elena was actually glad to see him in the kitchen with Jenna when she arrived home. Alaric Saltzman was a teacher, but he was someone who might be able to help.

"Hi Elena," Jenna said as she stood in the door trying to get his attention.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked Alaric. Then to Jenna she added "Student-teacher stuff"

Alaric looked at Jenna "Is it OK? I won't be long."

Jenna nodded though she gave Elena an odd look.

Alaric hesitated a little as he followed Elena into her room. This wasn't school, and he was not sure it was appropriate.

"Are you sure you want to talk to me?" the teacher asked. "If it is girl stuff, you have Jenna and Bonnie to talk to. If it is Vampire-related, you have Stefan and Bonnie. Maybe you should just talk to Bonnie."

"It's about Bonnie." Elena said, sitting on her bed. Alaric remained standing, leaning against the closed door.

"Fine. What is it?"

Elena hesitated. She kept thinking to herself "Don't bring up Katherine." If she was to tell anyone about Katherine's visit, it would be Stefan, but Damon apparently hadn't said anything to him. And she was unwilling to test his reaction to the news that the girl he had been in love with (even though it was a long time ago) was back. She resolved not to mention Katherine's visit.

"She threatened Damon and Stefan."

Alaric waited for more, but she didn't say anything. "Is about the burning of the tomb vampires? I know she saved them when you asked her to."

"No. This was later. She told Stefan that if Damon hurt any more innocents, she would destroy him, and Stefan too, if the tried to stop her."

"Do you disagree with her that innocents should be left alone?" Alaric asked.

"No. Of course not. But I convinced Stefan and Damon to trust Bonnie, and she let them down. She let me down. She was going to let them burn until I tried to go in after them. "

"But she did save them." Alaric noted.

"The point is, I want us to be on the same side, but I'm not sure what side she is on."

Alaric knew what she was asking and tried to explain. "Bonnie's family has a long history in Mystic Falls, Elena. They were protectors. Bonnie sees that as her role as well."

"I want to protect the town too. Stefan isn't a threat."

Alarics face showed that he wasn't convinced. "But Damon?"

"Not any more," Elena replied. "He has helped a lot recently. You know that."

"I know they are threats. Both of them. They have both shown it."

"They can control it. They are controlling it." Elena was beginning to wonder if this conversation was such a good idea.

"I don't know everything, but Stefan and Damon have been wreaking havoc for years. Ever since they lost Katherine they have been fighting each other. They behaved for her. Once she was gone, they could not be controlled."

Elena tried to argue. "Stefan lives on animal blood."

"It wasn't always so. And do you think that makes him 'good'? These are not two vampires out converting other vampires to live in peace with humans. Are they working together now to try to keep Mystic Falls safe? Yeah. But it's not because they are good. It's because of you."

Elena shook her head as what he was saying sank in.

"Stefan's not evil," she denied. "He wouldn't hurt anyone or anything."

"He has killed other vampires to keep you safe."

The student didn't know how to respond. Of course, he was right. "That doesn't make him evil."

"Nor is it wrong for Bonnie to let vampires die to keep the town safe."

"Do you think I would be with Stefan if he was a threat to Mystic Falls?"

"I didn't say that." Alaric replied. "I'm saying I have studied vampires for a long time, and I think they are like humans. Some are mostly good, some mostly bad. Maybe some are all bad. I'm just not sure you can know. They can shut off whatever humanity they have anytime they want. Damon told me that himself."

Elena was desperate and defensive. "They both have it under control."

"Can you honestly say that?" Alaric asked. "Can you tell me you have never seen them without humanity?"

"We're not talking about what they were. We're talking about what they are."

"What they are, Elena, is loyal to you. There is no one they will not destroy if there is a real or perceived threat to you."

Elena closed her eyes and took a calming breath. She spoke softly. "I only want them and the town to be safe."

Alaric tried to sound reasonable in response. "Do you really think there is a 'safe' when you are around vampires? Even Isobel started out just mildly interested. What could be safer than a little research? Now she's gone."

Elena met his eyes. "You really loved her – my mother, didn't you?" She had meant to say birth-mother, but it didn't come out that way.

"I did. Your mother was the Isobel I loved when I met her and when I married her. When she came here threatening you and everyone else, I knew that whatever she became, she was not my Isobel. Not your mother."

"But it was after she changed that she gave you the ring." Elena pointed out. "The ring that saved your life. She still loves you, protects you."

Alaric shook his head. "I didn't say I understand it. They are not always all bad. She comes and threatens me, but at the same time protects me as best she can. I don't know what to make of it."

"She still loves you."

"Maybe. But it is not something I have to think about. She's gone. But you need to be careful, Elena. Maybe Stefan can control himself most of the time. Damon cannot be taken lightly."

"I don't take him lightly. But he's changing. He's becoming more like Stefan."

"You need to be careful around him, Elena." Alaric repeated.

"He won't hurt me."

"Are you sure? He tried to kill me. And it's not just about what he does. It's about what you feel for him."

The student bristled and stared at her teacher briefly. "What do you mean? I'm with Stefan."

"We saw you, Elena, Jenna and I, when you danced with him. We saw the way you were looking at each other."

"That was for the audience. It was a show." Elena said defensively.

"No. Caroline Forbes with a big smile painted on as she looked at her fill-in escort. That was a show. What you and Damon were doing was not a show. Whatever it was, it was real."

Elena swallowed and exhaled before saying "I asked you up here to talk about Bonnie. What should I do about her?"

Alaric shook his head. "Talk to her. You are friends aren't you? Talk to her when there are no vampires or victims nearby – no plots or spells. You will at least understand each other better."

Elena let out a breath and nodded. "OK. I can do that. I will"

"And Elena, please. I am starting to think of you as family. Be careful?"

Elena nodded slightly as Alaric left her room.

Maybe it was a mistake – it hadn't been so private lately. But she needed to write. Elena pulled out her journal.

* * *

The Chat

Elena woke up suddenly. It was still dark outside. But something was wrong. Then she noticed a figure in the nearby chair. She sat up in bed - slowly, deliberately.

"Not a screamer. Impressive," Katherine said arising from the chair.

"I know better. Dating a vampire," Elena replied. She was upset, but did her best to control it.

"Everything I've heard is true. You look like me, even sound like me. It really is amazing. We could be twins."

"Give or take a hundred and fifty years. What do you want Katherine."

"Not all that sociable, though." Katherine noted.

"I do that during daytime hours." Elena was glad her voice remained calm.

"Then you're missing out. The dark has its advantages."

Elena didn't respond. The longer the vampire just stood there, the more nervous the human became.

Katherine waited briefly, knowing it was increasing Elena's fear. "OK, I guess it will take us longer to become 'chatting friends'." She moved to stand at the foot of Elena's bed.

"You've probably heard a lot about me. None of it good, I imagine."

Elena felt a little safer with the bed between them. She knew it was unreasonable, but she did. And she was feeling a bit contradictory. "I heard you were loved." she said.

Katherine smiled briefly. "Yes I was. And I loved them as well. Still do. Which is why I'm here."

Elena was not sure where this was headed, but she was thinking it could not turn out well. She waited.

"Let's talk about the Gilberts. Do you know why your family is almost gone?"

"I'm not a Gilbert." Elena denied, ignoring her biological father. "I'm part of your family."

Katherine laughed to herself again. "So you are. I am starting to see why they like you. Your adopted family, then. Do you know why they are almost gone? It is not just bad luck."

"Are you saying it was you?"

"You can infer what you want, but you should know that the Gilberts have done nothing but try to destroy us since the beginning. Now they are almost gone. They only remain because through some stroke of fate, you became one of them."

Elena stared at Katherine. "Are you saying you would have killed Jenna and Jeremy if I were not here?"

"Again, infer what you want. But you need to know that it could still happen."

Elena was getting a little worried now. "They aren't a threat to you."

"Jeremy knows. He knows the history. Every Gilbert that has known has been a threat."

"I know the history, and you know I'm not a threat to you."

"And you just said you're not really a Gilbert - you're my family. Probably my only living relative now – give or take a vampire are two."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the Gilberts are nearly gone. If they become a threat, it is easily dealt with now. The only remaining Salvatores are on our side. The only real threat remaining in Mystic Falls is the witch."

"Bonnie? But she…" Elena couldn't finish. She was starting to understand Katherine.

"I didn't start this feud." Katherine said. "But I am close to finishing it."

"People have died, Katherine. Good people."

"People always die. And it's not just humans who die."

Katherine could see Elena's expression, and she actually softened a bit – or so Elena thought. "Look, I know you have lost a lot. And I know it hurts. I've lived a lot longer than you and I've lost a lot more. When that happens, it's not that you become heartless. It's that you lose enough that you refuse to lose anymore. You no longer hurt, you just get angry. There comes a time when any further loss will just result in revenge. And that is where the witch comes in."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, visibly upset now.

"She needs to know the consequences if she harms you, Stefan or Damon."

"Me? Why would you care?"

"You're family, Elena. And you are the only reason there are still Gilberts in Mystic Falls. If they protect you and are not a threat to us, they will be left alone. If that changes…"

"It won't." Elena said quickly, "Jenna still doesn't know. And Jeremy was in love with a vampire. They're not a threat and won't become one. There's no reason for you to hurt them."

"Time will tell. But now you know."

"Are you my protector now? Am I supposed to be grateful?"

"I don't expect you to care, Elena. Not now, anyway. I am asking you to talk to the witch – to convince her to leave you and the Salvatores alone."

"Bonnie is not a threat to me." Elena said.

The vampire was not convinced. "Don't be so sure. She is already threatening those you love. Do you think it's such a big leap from harming them to harming you? Besides, if she really is your friend, there are those that would hurt you just to cause her pain."

"Damon and Stefan won't let that happen."

"Damon, Stefan and me. It's true - you have the best protection you could possibly have, in this town anyway. But is not really a good time or place to have the name 'Gilbert'. There are a lot of creatures who would take you out just to get back at the town, the witch, Damon, Stefan, or me."

"No one's threatened me…" Elena started. But she knew it wasn't true.

"A lot of vampires have died here recently. That is not unnoticed. And part of the reason is the witch. That is not unnoticed either."

"She's just trying to protect..."

Katherine interrupted harshly. "I know what she is doing and why. I saw it in Emily, and in every member of her family since. But she needs to know that if she or anyone in this town she is so fond of harms you, Stefan or Damon, it will be burned to the ground and there will not be a human or a witch alive within a hundred miles." Katherine was starting coldly at Elena now.

Elena was stunned. She was even more nervous as she responded. "She can fight you. I've seen her power."

"Against a few vampires? Yeah, she can fight. But it wouldn't take much to raise an army of vampires willing to destroy Mystic Falls. She would lose."

Elena was looking down now, trying to process all of this when Katherine spoke again - calmer now.

"I don't want a fight, Elena. I prefer her on our side, but at least I want her to leave us alone."

"She already said if Damon hurt anyone…"

"I've heard." the vampire interrupted. "And do you think she doesn't mean Stefan as well?"

"They don't think you care about them," repeating what Damon and Stefan had said about Katherine.

"And they are to continue to think that, Elena. Secrets make for good relationships. Talk to the witch alone."

Elena briefly considered what was being asked of her. "I don't think she'll change her mind. And she won't respond to threats."

"Then don't threaten her. Look, Elena, we want the same thing. We want the same people safe and living their lives. I've tried living in peace with my secrets. The Gilberts and Salvatores ended that. They didn't care who I was, who I loved or who loved me. They just cared what I was and wanted me dead. Don't let the witch make that mistake. I'm not losing anyone else."

"I'll try." Elena agreed.

"You'll make her understand."

"Why do I feel threatened? You're protecting me by threatening me?"

Katherine moved towards the door. Her face showed no emotion as she left. "You'll work it out."

"Oh Katherine," Elena said as the vampire reached the door, "Family knocks."

* * *

The Target

Elena needed the walk to clear her mind – to try to formulate what she was going to say to Bonnie. She was walking to Bonnie's house, but was reconsidering as she drew close - would she be up to walking back after this was done?

Suddenly Damon was in front of her. "Out for a stroll – alone?"

"Yeah, so?" Elena said, annoyed that he had interrupted her thoughts.

"Does Stefan know?"

"He's not my keeper. What are you doing here?"

"A better question, Elena, is what are you doing here?"

She did not appreciate the challenge. "Bonnie is my friend. I came to talk to her." Then she became a little worried. "I don't thinks it's safe for you to be here Damon."

"Why? I haven't spilled any innocent blood. Or does that not matter anymore?"

"Damon, please. Just let me talk to her."

Damon looked at her. "Do you think you can convince her that she's wrong? Elena, you know she isn't. You know what I've done. What I might do again."

Elena nodded. "Yeah, I do. Bad and good."

"Then what will you tell her? That I'm good now? She knows better. That I'll go away? Not without you."

Elena looked into his eyes, almost breathless as she spoke. "Damon, don't say things like that."

"Why not? It's true enough. You are honest with me, I'll be honest with you."

Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. "And I'll be honest with Bonnie. I'll tell her that if she hurts you, it'll hurt me." She met his eyes again just before turning to walk to Bonnie's house "but I don't know if it'll be enough…"


	3. The Witch and the Reason

The Witch

Elena was nervous as she knocked on Bonnie's door. The walk to her house had not helped. She still wasn't sure how to approach the witch.

"Elena."

"Hi Bonnie. Can we talk for a minute?"

Bonnie stared at her best friend briefly before answering. "If this is about Damon or Stefan, I'm not interested."

"Bonnie, please."

"Elena, no."

"It's about me OK? Please." Elena said quickly before the door was completely shut in her face.

Bonnie hesitated then opened the door, though she didn't look convinced. A nod of the head told Elena she was allowed to enter.

"Have you been OK lately?" Elena asked as they sat at the kitchen table. She really was concerned about Bonnie since Grams died.

"I'm getting by."

Bonnie's face hadn't softened from the harshness it held at the door. Elena was getting concerned. She nodded slightly and decided to start what she had come to do.

"I wanted to thank you for saving Stefan and Damon."

"You said this wasn't about them." The witch's face had turned hard.

"I did. But I haven't seen you since then, and I had to tell you."

Bonnie only nodded.

"Bonnie, I'm scared. Everything is falling apart around me and I don't know what to do."

Elena's best friend did not answer. She didn't even soften. Elena made the decision then. She wasn't going to mention Katherine or her threats. It would only make things worse.

"You've been my best friend for years. We can't let this tear us apart."

"How can you say that, Elena? You know what he's done." Bonnie's expression was close to a glare.

"Damon?" Elena noticed that the appeal to friendship was ignored. "I know. Some of it he did to me."

"And I am not going to let him do it to anyone else."

"Bonnie, he's changed. You know he's been helping." Elena was almost pleading now.

"The Founder's Day celebration was full of vampires, vampires about to feed on us. Emily's spell stopped it."

"That wasn't Damon's fault. He was trying to stop them."

The witch's glare remained. "I did stop them. And Damon and Stefan still live, or whatever it is vampires do." The words were more spat than spoken.

"They trusted me. I need their trust." Elena said softly.

"What do you want from me Elena?" Bonnie asked, her voice still hard.

"They are under control. I want you to leave them alone."

Bonnie stared at Elena. "They're under whose control?"

"They are controlling themselves. You know they are. You know they worked to protect the town."

"I know they worked to protect you. And you protect them no matter what happens."

"Bonnie…"

"Look around Elena," Bonnie interrupted. "What do you see? You have an aunt, a brother, vampires, and friends that care about you, that love you. All I have is a heritage, a responsibility and a 'best friend' who is asking me to turn my back on that. Why? To protect someone who has done nothing but hurt her – and a lot of other people."

This had not turned out well. Elena played her last card. "Bonnie please, I'll die if anything happens to Damon - or Stefan."

She did not respond, her expression remained unchanged.

"Will you at least talk to me before you do anything to one of them?" Elena knew it was a long shot, but she had to ask.

"I'll make you a deal, Elena. If you tell me if Damon hurts anyone, I'll tell you before I destroy him."

It was over, Elena had lost. She stood up and started to leave.

"I'm sorry Bonnie." She was not sure why she said it. It just kind of came out.

Bonnie stayed seated. "Tell Damon I know he's out there. He's only making it easier for me."

Elena didn't know what Bonnie meant but she didn't think about it. She left and quickly walked to where she had seen Damon before entering. He wasn't there.

"Damon" she said – afraid to speak too loudly. She had to repeat the call several times before he appeared.

He could see she was upset. "Didn't go well?"

"You need to go somewhere else. It's not safe for you here."

Damon laughed. "Katherine's back. Who's safe anywhere around here?"

He had walked around a bit while Elena was inside, and knew she was on foot. "Need a ride? Where's your car?"

* * *

The Reason

Elena asked Damon to take her to the boarding house where she tried to find comfort in Stefan's arms, though without telling him what had happened. Damon was in another room.

"I can tell you're upset Elena. You know you can talk to me about anything, anything at all."

Elena was amazed at what she was keeping from him – things like Katherine – when he had, she thought, been opening up to her lately. Like when he told her of Bonnie's threat – or warning as he had called it. However, she felt had to work it out for herself, though she wondered if she was still afraid of his reaction to Katherine's visits. She also wondered why Damon had not told him about Katherine.

"Elena…"

"Oh, sorry. Did you say something?"

He didn't have time to respond. With a loud noise, the door flew open and Bonnie walked in, murder in her eyes.

Stefan quickly rose to face her.

"Where's Damon? I know he's here."

Elena rose to face her as well. "What's wrong?"

The witched turned her glare to the human. "John Gilbert. He was missing so I started using my power to try to find him - and I did. I saw a vision of Damon burying his bloody body."

Damon had appeared behind Stefan and Elena.

Stefan held out his hand to hold the witch back.

"Bonnie, it's not what you think…" Elena started. Her power must have flung Stefan aside – he was suddenly gone.

Damon was suddenly off the ground, and Elena could see he was in pain.

"Bonnie, no! It wasn't him." Elena screamed as she started to put herself between Bonnie and Damon.

Without warning, Elena found herself hitting a wall. She felt pain as she landed on the floor with her wrist in an awkward position.

She let out an "Ow!" as she tried to recover and orient herself. 'Katherine was right. I can't believe it,' she thought.

"She was right." Elena said out loud this time. Then she saw Damon again.

"Bonnie!" She screamed as loud as she could – somewhere between shrieking and crying. "It wasn't Damon! It was Katherine! Bonnie! It was Katherine!"

That drew Bonnie's attention. Damon slipped to the floor.

"It was Katherine," Elena repeated softly as she rubbed her wrist and tried to stand. "Damon was just cleaning up after her."

The witch glared at Elena. "You knew Katherine was here and did this, and you didn't tell me?"

Stefan was standing against the wall he had hit. "Katherine is here?"

Elena ignored Stefan. She would have to deal with him later. Bonnie was still a threat. "It's not what you think."

"How could it not be what I think? You just said she killed John Gilbert. I've got to find her, I've got to…"

"Bonnie no!" Elena interrupted, "She was protecting me." Not the complete truth, but close enough.

"Did she tell you that?" Stefan asked. "Everything she wants, everything she is, is a threat to you, a threat to us."

"No. She was protecting me," Elena repeated.

"And now you're protecting her?" Bonnie angrily retorted. "She's a monster Elena. She kills people to stay alive. Do the math."

"Math?" Elena was getting stronger and had moved to kneel next to Damon, but she scowled at Bonnie now. "Katherine saved Emily, who then lived long enough to have a daughter, who had a daughter and on down to you. You do the math. You are only alive because of Katherine. We all are."

Bonnie was stunned. Elena wasn't finished. "You don't know what you've done. God I hope she doesn't find out about this."

Bonnie could see how upset Elena was. She wasn't sure how to react.

Stefan began moving. "Katherine was here and you didn't tell me? Elena…"

"Later Stefan," Elena cut him off. "Please, not now. I need you to take Bonnie home and keep her safe there."

"Elena…"

She didn't have time for this. "Please Stefan. If you have ever trusted me about anything, trust me about this. She needs to go home and you need to make sure she is safe. Stay with her there until I go there. Please!"

Stefan could see worry in his girlfriend's eyes. His remained angry, hurt – she was not sure. Finally he turned to the witch. "Bonnie? Will you come with me?"

Bonnie had watched Elena in stunned silence. "OK, but this isn't over Elena."

Elena did not respond as they left. She turned back to Damon thinking 'you don't know how right you are.'

Damon was sitting up now, eyes open, though she could tell he was weak, maybe still in pain. She tried to control her tone after the confrontation that had just happened.

"What do you need Damon?"

"Blood" he said weakly, pointing at her neck.

She froze. Should she? She had done it for Stefan, and it had almost ruined him. It took Damon's help, his willing help, to set things straight.

"Not you," the vampire said moving his hand slightly to point behind her. "The fridge."

Elena was up immediately. She found and brought back two packets of blood.

As he drank them she unintentionally voiced a question she had in her mind. "Is refrigerated blood as good as good as fresh?"

Damon was getting stronger. "It tastes much better if the heart is beating when you drink it."

Elena only then realized she had spoken. "I didn't mean that. I mean, is it as good for you as fresh human blood? Does it keep you as strong?"

Damon was standing now, looking much better. "I don't know of any studies. What just happened here?" he asked, glaring at Elena.

Elena was caught off guard by his expression and glared right back at him. "I just saved your life – again."

"You know what I mean. Have you seen Katherine again?

Her expression turned to worry as she remembered the problem. "Yes. But we need to get moving Damon."

"Where?"

"My house. I don't know if she'll come here, but maybe she'll go there. If she does, I – we – need to be there."


	4. The Complication

The Complication

When Elena and Damon arrived at her house, they entered slowly. Jenna came out of a room surprising them. They had not seen her coming.

"Elena, you're back. You left to get him? Is that why you wouldn't talk to me before?"

"Not talk to you?" Elena knew that had not happened and she knew what it meant.

"Yes Elena. And it's getting annoying."

Elena looked at Damon. He followed her eyes to the stairs and nodded.

"I'm sorry, there's just a lot going on. I'll fill you in soon, promise," she said as she started upstairs, Damon following until Jenna grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Where do you think you're going?"

It was Elena who answered. "Jenna, I need to talk to him for a minute. He'll be right down. I promise."

Jenna looked at her dubiously.

"Two minutes. Tops." Elena offered.

"OK. Two minutes or I'm in there."

"Tops," Elena said grabbing Damon's other arm and pulling him up behind her.

They were careful again. She was grateful that Jeremy's door was open and she could see him laying on his bed listening to music. She had to be sure, so she stood in his door and waved at him. He glanced up and made "go away" motion with one of his hands. "He's fine" she thought. She was breathing a little easier.

Her door was closed. She opened carefully, Damon at her side, and flipped on the light. It was empty.

"OK, she's not here. But she was."

"I'll take a quick look around outside" Damon said.

"Be sure Jenna sees you leave? Thanks."

Damon nodded. She watched him leave.

She turned around and Katherine was there. Right in front of her. Closer than she had ever been.

"D..Da..Damon's fine." Elena managed to stutter out.

"Fine? We'll do to you what the witch did to him and see if you're fine."

Katherine's expression was hard. It made Elena nervous. "H..he had blood. He's OK now."

"He has his color back, but not his strength. You could give him a good fight. Get rid of him Elena, we need to talk."

"He won't leave, not while he thinks you're here."

"I am not talking to you with him here. Send him away."

"And if I don't?" Elena managed to challenge. "You won't hurt him."

"You're right, but he's not the only one in this house."

She was gone. Damon came back through the window. Elena tried to control her voice and movements. She sat on her bed, he sat in a nearby chair.

"I didn't see any sign of her."

"Thank you Damon." She took in a few calming breaths. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Favor?"

Elena nodded. "I need you to check on Stefan and Bonnie."

Damon was stunned. "You want me to go to the witch after what she did? I don't believe it."

"Damon…" she started.

"You told me to stay away from her house. That it wasn't safe. You were right."

"No Damon, not go in, not see her. Just see that they are there and everything is OK."

"Call her…or him." Damon's face had turned hard as well.

"He won't be able to see everything. You will from the outside."

Damon was suspicious. "Call him. Katherine was here – twice. At least. Maybe more?"

"Damon…"

Damon softened slightly. "You need to tell me what is going on. I can smell your fear."

Elena studied him for a second before saying, "She won't hurt me Damon."

"Of course not. No one would hurt you. Little Miss Elena Gilbert, loved by all, protected by all. No danger to her. It's time to open your eyes Elena. She and who knows who or what else is out there right now. I'm not leaving you alone."

Elena closed her eyes, though mind was racing. She knew Katherine wouldn't wait long. She had to come up with a way.

"You're afraid of something Elena." Damon said as she hesitated. "You won't tell me – OK. That's fine. But I'm not going to let you face it alone."

She looked at him again and made the decision. She didn't have to do this alone - it was time to tell someone. It could be Damon. He would help her. He, if anyone, would understand Katherine.

"Katherine was just here. She wants to talk to me, but not with you here."

"Not going to happen."

"Damon, I want to talk to her. I need to." Elena was pleading now.

"Not alone. I am not leaving you alone."

"You have to. Damon, she could hurt Jeremy or Jenna. You're not strong enough to stop her. And I am absolutely sure I am safe with her."

"And just how sure is that?"

"As sure as I am that you will never let anyone or anything hurt me. That sure."

Damon stared at her briefly, and finally nodded slightly.

"You don't need to go to Bonnie's. Just go out of Katherine's hearing range – just for 20 minutes?"

"OK" he said shortly as he left.

Elena's fear slackened just a bit. She had done what Katherine wanted. She arose, went to the door, leaned against it with her back, and stared at the window, waiting.

She was startled by a soft knock at the door.

"Not now. I need a few minutes"

"But you said family knocks" her own voice replied.

Elena moved and opened the door. "Sorry, I mean thanks."

"You're welcome," Katherine said as she entered. She moved towards the end of Elena's bed.

"You two are polar opposites, you know." Katherine said as she motioned for Elena to sit on the bed. "You care about everyone else, almost nothing for yourself. Damon is only about Damon."

"He cared about you."

"He did. Then it was all about him. Now that may be changing again."

Elena couldn't respond. She was still scared, and still not used to seeing herself in front of her, talking to her.

"You and I really are from different eras. In my day, we socialized a little before speaking of unpleasant things."

"You weren't too social before."

"We needed our privacy, and we needed some time." Katherine said. "Bravo that you were able to get us both. So effective. Odd that the witch didn't get the message."

Elena was desperate again. "You have to let me try again. I can get through to her."

"Do you really believe that Elena?"

"I do."

"Good. Because I don't want to hurt anyone." The vampire paused, putting her hand to her chin like she was thinking. "Oh wait. Now we're both lying." Her face turned hard. "A terrible habit – spreads like wildfire. You told me you would warn her."

"I tried," Elena said a little frantically. "But Damon did so much, he's hurt so many. But after what happened today, I think I can get through to her."

"I could take her out now."

Elena tensed. "Her house is protected."

"Against me, yes. But do you know what they have nowadays? Tanks. How do you think she would fare? Or missiles. I imagine I could get one sent in her direction if I tried. The army of vampires might be more fun to watch, but they would take time to raise. I can be more efficient."

Elena took in a quick breath. "Stefan is there. You said you wouldn't hurt him"

"Yes he is. Quite a move on your part. Bravo again. I usually deal with such idiots. I'll have to remember who I'm dealing with when I talk with you in the future. But I can find a way to separate them."

"I know I messed up. But you have to let me try again."

Katherine was not moved. "This is not acceptable Elena. He almost died. She set terms and ignored them. She cannot go unpunished."

"No! Please. I'll convince her. It won't happen again. I'll get her to agree and find a way to make it up to you."

"Yes you will, Elena. I keep my promises. I will never let anyone or anything hurt you - physically, but if she hurts him again, she dies. And it won't be just her."

"She won't."

Katherine stared at the human briefly before speaking again. "You're family. You even have me knocking – well once anyway. You have me giving you a second chance. That has never happened before. There will not be a third."

And she was gone.

Elena laid on the bed, eyes filling with tears, no idea what she was going to do. She did not hear Damon's return. There was still some time until sunset. Damon did not interrupt her when he arrived, just sat near the bed and waited. She was on her side, she looked like she was sleeping.

Finally she looked up and noticed him. She couldn't speak.

"What did that bitch do to you?"

"Damon, it's my fault. She told me to warn Bonnie to leave you alone, and I wasn't able to get through to her."

Damon scowled. "I don't need your protection Elena."

"You need somebody's. You almost died. And it's my fault. I was supposed to keep it from happening."

Damon stared at her. He was starting to piece together the story, but her state of mind and fear were making it difficult.

"Did she threaten you?"

"No. I told you she's protecting me and she is – I don't care what you guys think. She is. But she doesn't want Bonnie to hurt you. And Bonnie did. She's threatening Bonnie and everyone else I care about."

Katherine had been specific. She was not to mention anything about Katherine still caring for Damon or Stefan. Elena was going to obey. She was realizing that she was going to end up doing anything Katherine asked her to do.

"So that's why you're protecting the witch."

Elena nodded. Thinking about it brought tears again. "I don't know what to do."

Damon moved to sit next to her and spoke softly. "First call them. Make sure they're OK and let them know you'll be awhile longer. Then we'll figure it out."

Elena nodded. "OK. I can do that."

She called Stefan's cell phone. He answered immediately.

"Elena. You have some explaining to do."

"I do, Stefan, and I will. Is Bonnie OK?"

"She's not happy. But she is here."

Elena was relieved. "OK. Stefan, I'm sorry I kept it from you, but there is a reason. I will explain as soon as I can, but I have to figure some things out. Katherine might hurt Bonnie, but she will leave her alone while you're with her."

Stefan was skeptical. "Why would that be. That is not who she is."

"Stefan, I said I would explain, and I will. Please stay there with her and keep her inside."

"She's already doing spells trying to find Katherine. I don't know if I can."

Elena exhaled and shook her head. "Whatever she does, don't leave her Stefan. Please."

"I'm taking a lot on faith here Elena. But I will – for now."

"Thank you. I will keep my promise."

Stefan hesitated before asking, "Damon?"

"I'm with him. He's getting stronger. I think it will take some time."

A brief silence followed, Elena was getting a little concerned when Stefan asked, "When will I see you again?"

"Tonight or tomorrow. I just have to figure some things out."

"OK," Stefan said, and abruptly hung up.

"Figure things out?" Damon said. "You're going to make him worry that there is something going on between us."

"Yeah," Elena confirmed, then added "and maybe he'd be right." under her breath.

She could tell that Damon heard and that it caught his attention.

"Oh get that smirk off your face. I'm not happy about it. For now, just help me figure out what to do."


	5. The Vampire and the Witch

Isobel

Alaric was at school, in his classroom at his desk. It was just after sundown when he felt her presence.

"I thought you had left" he told Isobel. He felt the old feelings, but tried to ignore them.

"I had. Now I'm back."

"Another errand to bully me into running for you?"

Isobel chuckled. "No. Nothing for you, but I am on a mission for Katherine."

"What kind of mission?"

"The kind I'm not allowed to repeat to you."

"Then why are you here."

"I'm here to warn you, to inform you. Something's happening here. I don't know what it is. I don't know who is involved. I only know my part."

"Why are you telling me this?" Alaric asked suspiciously.

"Because knowledge is power. Information leads to good choices. You need to choose. I think you should get out while you can."

"Isobel, what is going on?"

"I told you I don't know. Katherine's not really trusting me right now. It seems trying to protect my daughter didn't go over well with her. I'm not sure talking to you is helping me either. But I had to give you the choice. Make it soon."

Isobel start to walk out of the classroom.

"I'm not leaving. They need my help."

Isobel turned back – her normal constant, distant look, almost smirk, was gone. She almost looked pleading. "Why do you always have to be like that – why be involved? Why can't you just do the safe thing? I have a daughter – with her father gone, you are as close as there is for her. Stay safe for her."

"You threatened her - and me."

Isobel shook her head and actually looked sad. "I'm not a threat to either of you."

Alaric stared as Isobel left .

* * *

Bonnie

"You're not going with me," Elena yelled at Damon. She had just left her house, having told him to remain inside until she returned. "It's not safe for you there."

"We agreed that talking to Bonnie is the first step. I can at least go with you until you're close and then watch the perimeter."

"I told you, I'd rather have you here in case Jenna or Jeremy needs help."

"And I told you that's an excuse to keep me out of trouble. But I live for trouble, Elena, and now your trouble is my trouble."

Elena suddenly turned on him and pushed against his chest as hard as she could. Caught off guard, he stumbled backwards and fell onto his back. He had trouble getting up.

"You look fine, you can walk and talk and act normal, but you're not up to a fight. Katherine told me so, and she was right. Go back to my house and wait. Or go hunting – but not for humans, though I doubt you could take one now."

The headlights of a car passed over them and returned as the driver backed up. "Everything OK Elena?"

The lights blinded her. Elena tried to shield her eyes, and saw Alaric leave the car and walk to her.

"She's fine. Go away." Damon said as he pulled himself up.

"Have you got a stake?" Elena asked Alaric?

Alaric pulled one out of his jacket. "Do I need a stake?" He was glancing around them, looking for trouble.

Elena pointed at Damon. "Right there. Put him out of his misery."

"Why? Willing, but wondering…" Alaric asked.

"Because it will hurt him less that what will happen if he goes to Bonnie with me. Go back Damon."

"Are Damon and Bonnie fighting?"

"You could say that – a 'to the death' kind of fight. And guess who's losing."

"That was harsh." Damon said, finally standing, but not moving.

"Isobel's back." Alaric said, and looked at both of them. Both of them were shocked.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"Don't know. She said she was warning me that something's going on. She said she was here for Katherine, but wouldn't tell me why."

"Did she want to see me?" Elena asked.

"Not this time. She said I should leave town."

"Great. I have got to get Bonnie to understand. This isn't good"

"Then we'd better get going" Damon said.

"I'm going with Mr. Saltzman. She won't kill him." She said, climbing into his car, motioning for Alaric to get in the driver's seat. He did and they left Damon standing on the side of the road.

"Finally going to talk to her?" Alaric asked as they drove.

"Already did. It did not work out. Need to go again."

"What's with Damon?"

Elena only stared at him. She was trying to decide if she should tell him a little, everything, or nothing.

She decided on nothing.

"Can you just drop me off there? Then check on Jenna? I assume that is what you were going to do."

"Yes, but shouldn't we talk about Isobel's message? Where is Stefan?"

"At Bonnie's. But it is not going to be pleasant there. I'll fill you in at home when I get back."

"How will you get back?"

"I'll call if I need a ride." The car was stopped. "Thanks." Elena closed the door behind her and made the trek to Bonnie's door. Stefan opened to her knock. He stood still, blocking her entrance.

"Can I come in?" Elena asked.

"Can you? Without an invitation?"

"Stefan…"

"Oh stop!" Bonnie called. "If you're Elena, come in. If you're Katherine, stay out."

Stefan stepped aside and Elena entered. "Does that really work? Is it a witch thing?" He asked.

"I don't know. I just figured you would be able to tell if it was Elena or Katherine. I'm tired and mad and want to get this over with." Bonnie was sitting at a table surrounded by spell books.

"I know Bonnie. I'm here to do just that."

Bonnie slammed closed the book she was reading and glared at Elena. "What right do you have to insult my heritage, hide a murderer and threaten Mystic Falls?"

Elena consciously took a breath before responding. She knew this would not be easy, and she was right. Her voice was oddly calm.

"I didn't insult your heritage, I reminded you that if Katherine had not saved Emily, she would have died long before becoming a powerful witch and the matriarch of a family of witches. Including you. You would not be alive if it wasn't for Katherine. I am not hiding a murderer. If Katherine is a murderer and is hiding, she is doing that herself. I have no idea where she is. And I am not threatening Mystic Falls. You know I have no power. Katherine is threatening the town, but not without cause, and only if certain things happen. Things you control."

Bonnie had transformed form murderous glare to icy stare. "And what are these things I control?"

"Hurting me, Stefan or Damon. I never would have thought it possible, but you attacked Damon when he had not hurt anyone and you did what you had to disable Stefan and me in the process. You attacked us without knowing the facts. Would Emily have done that? Would your Grams?"

The witch continued to stare at Elena. "He may have not killed John Gilbert, but he has killed in the past. "

"That wasn't your bargain with Stefan. And anyway, it doesn't matter why you hurt him – or any of us. If it happens Mystic Falls will be destroyed."

Both Stefan and Bonnie stared at Elena. They had trouble believing it was her, from both the coldness of the words and the delivery. Stefan moved to look into her eyes.

"How do I know you're really Elena?"

Elena sighed. "You not recognizing me is not helping. You did this to me" she said, showing a scar from when he had bitten her wrist. "Or did you do this kind of thing to Katherine as well?"

Stefan winced. "Is she compelling you?"

Elena continued to look directly into his eyes. She pulled her necklace out and showed it to him. "Vervain is intact."

"Are you her minion now?" Bonnie asked sarcastically.

Elena turned back to her. "I'm her messenger."

"Why are you doing this?" Bonnie asked. The anger was leaving, replaced by exasperation, maybe some fear.

"I have no choice."

"There's always a choice," Stefan said.

Elena continued to face Bonnie. "Then I've made my choice. This is the only way I can protect my family and friends – including you, Bonnie."

"How can you even consider…" Bonnie began.

Elena interrupted her. "Because she can do it and she will. You claim she is not into protection. Call it revenge then. She will take revenge on you and Mystic Falls if we are hurt by you or anyone else in town for any reason."

"You expect me to give up? Let the vampires and who knows what else run free killing and …" Bonnie could not finish.

"No. No one is asking you to stop protecting Mystic Falls. She is not asking you to leave any other vampire or monster or even her alone. Just us three. We will do no harm."

"She's a monster. How can you even deliver a message for her?"

"Emily pledged her loyalty to Katherine. Did she ever withdraw her pledge, Bonnie? Did she ever refuse Katherine's requests?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No."

"Would she have helped a monster?"

"You don't know what she has done."

"Do you? Is it in your books? Did Emily know? What would she have done? What did she do?"

Bonnie stopped arguing, though she still looked like she was fuming.

"Katherine is giving you one more chance than you gave Damon. There will not be another."

Finally Stefan spoke into the silence that followed.

"What do you want from her Elena?"

"I want her to stay my best friend. I want her to protect Mystic Falls and those she loves with all her power, like Emily did. And I want her to honor Katherine's demands – like Emily did. I want her to leave Damon to us if there is a problem."

"I'll think about it." Bonnie finally said.

"Thank you." Elena said, breathing a sigh of relief and turning to leave.

"What's the status?" Stefan asked. "Is she safe now?"

Elena turned to face him. "We should stay with her a few days just in case. I don't know if I completely trust Katherine yet. I also don't know why Isobel is here. I do believe she won't attack her with you or me here. Will you stay with her tonight and tomorrow? Then maybe she will have decided and we can decide what to do next."

Stefan nodded. He glanced down and then looked back at Elena. "Just one more question. Do you still love me?"

She immediately met his eyes. "Stefan – you were the only who could help me this morning. You did as I asked without hesitation, without question."

"There were questions," he said.

"You didn't voice them. You trusted me. You're watching over my best friend. I've never loved you more."

She hugged him and left, pulling out her cell phone to call Alaric.


	6. The Interest

Irresistable Charm

Alaric pulled up where he had let Elena off.

"How was it?" He asked as she climed into his car.

"Better," she said. "Not definite, but I hope she'll do this."

"Stefan still there?"

"Yeah. He'll stay with her overnight and until we can all talk tomorrow. Did you see Damon?"

"He's with Jenna. He said he'd stay with her until you get back."

"And she's letting him stay?" This was a bit of a surprise to Elena. She didn't think Jenna and Damon got along.

"I used my irresitable charm and convinced her. You haven't shared much with me, but with Isobel here, I thought it best. She did kidnap Jeremy last time."

That reminded Elena she had more than one thing to worry about. "Yeah," she said to herself, though loud enough for Alaric to hear. "And he's a Gilbert."

Alaric wondered what that meant as he pulled up to her home.

"Are you coming in?"

The teacher shook his head. "Not unless you need me to. We've said our goodbyes."

Elena nodded. "We'll call later and set up a meeting to talk about this tomorrow, OK?"

"I'll be waiting" he said. He watched her enter her home before driving away.

"Elena," Jenna said. "Damon was just telling me how much he enjoyed dancing with you."

"He was, was he?" she asked. She looked him over. Same old Damon – on the outside, at least.

"Yes, and I was telling him that we enjoyed watching it. You were definitely the best looking couple out there. He said he learned the moves as a young man and just remembered them. Very impressive."

"Isn't it." Elena said trying with her eyes to tell Damon to leave.

"I never did find out what happened to Stefan that day."

Damon finally got the message and arose. "Family emergency. But I really have to go. It was nice spending a few moments with you Jenna. I can show myself out."

She smiled and Damon left.

"Did you enjoy talking to Bonnie?"

"I did. We haven't spent much time together since she returned." Elena quickly changed the subject to address one of her major concerns. "I'm sorry if I've been acting weird lately – not talking to you or whatever."

The aunt nodded. "It's OK Elena. I know what it's like at your age, and I know it is much worse with the loss of your parents recently. I just wish you would open up to me more."

"Has it seemed that I've been ignoring you in the last couple of days?"

"Only once or twice. You acted like I didn't exist."

Elena was almost relieved. "Just that? Nothing more?"

"Are you saying you don't remember Elena?"

"No, no." the neice denied. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't offend you. If I do that again, can you do me a favor and just leave me alone for a little bit? I'm sure I'll be fine – just need alone time?"

Jenna looked dubious. "Are you planning this?"

"No, of course not. It can just be our signal to each other that I need space for a bit, if it's OK."

"Yeah, we'll try it and see how it goes."

Elena went to her room with one worry decreased a little bit. At lease Jenna wouldn't confront Katherine – she hoped.

Damon was waiting for her in her room. "Did you talk to the witch?"

Elena was tired and it showed. She looked wearily at him. "I know she hurt you, Damon, and I am unbelievably sorry about that, but would you please not call her that? It's what Katherine calls her. I can't bear to hear it from you as well"

The vampire stared at her for a minute and finally said, "OK. For you."

"Thanks."

Damon suddenly changed the subject. "Why does Katherine not want to see me?"

It made sense for him to ask, given everything he'd said and done in the past. Elena could see his pain.

"She hasn't said anything about it. Sorry. And I know Stefan hasn't seen her either."

Damon nodded. Elena looked at him closer. He looked exhausted.

"Were you able to hunt while I was gone?"

Damon shook his head. "Jenna's boyfriend insisted I go in with him to see her. He's really worried about Isobel."

"I know. Go now." The girl nodded towards the window. "You need to get your strength back."

"What if she comes while I'm gone? Or Isobel?"

"Then I'll deal. I'm doing as she asks. There's no reason for them to hurt any of us."

"I just can't bear the thought of you meeting either one of them alone – without me."

She nodded. "I know. I appreciate it. But you're so weak – please. I'll feel better knowing that you're feeding, and that you'll be outside when I wake up."

Damon agreed and was gone.

Elena was exhausted. She quickly readied herself for bed. She realized she would have to work out some arrangements if vampires were going to be watching over her.

* * *

The Interest

She soon found herself in a restless sleep.

She had no idea of the time she awoke, though she could see that it was still very dark outside.

She nervously glanced at the chair. Empty. She let her eyes pass to every other corner of the room she could see from her bed. Still empty. But then the vampire spoke.

"I know you prefer me to knock Elena, and I will if you are awake. But I thought it would be rude to wake you up that way."

"This couldn't wait until morning?" Elena was a little less afraid with every visit – but the fear was far from gone.

"Some things are not to be postponed. And it seemed a good time with your boyfriend gone."

"Damon is not my boyfriend."

"Give it a rest, Elena. We both know you can't really make your mind up about them. 'Stefan's so nice, but Damon's so handsome.' 'Stefans's handsome too, and is nice all the time, but Damon's nice to me and his bad side is mostly an act for others.' 'Stefan has a bad side but only I see it and fix it when I do. I am the only one that see's Damon's good side which is fine with me.' Some things never change, Elena. It was exactly the same with me."

Elena just lowered her eyes. Katherine was right.

"There are choices to make and choices that have been made. But Damon or Stefan is not the only one. Let's talk about the witch's choice. You talked to her today?"

"I did." Elena confirmed. "I think she's coming around. I think she'll do as you asked."

"Not quite a commitment, but an improvement. That is so good to hear. We'll have to watch her, but perhaps it will work."

"I think so. I think she'll let me and Stefan deal with Damon if there's a problem."

"Exactly as I would have it. Now with the future secure, we must return to the past."

Elena was hopeful, almost relieved until now. Her heart sank. "The past?"

"Yes Elena. Damon was seriously injured. There is a price to be paid."

"Please no! I told you we will fix this." Elena was getting desperate again.

"A witch's spell is not easily overcome. I'm not sure Damon will ever be the same, and I liked him the way he was."

"I'll go back to Bonnie. I'll get her to heal him."

"Not a trick I've ever heard of. I would be even more impressed with you than I am now."

"I'll do it right away."

"I know you will." The vampire's tone had remained consistent throughout the converstation - she showed no emotion. "You have always been so very prompt when dealing with me. But the clock is ticking. This cannot wait. There are debts to be paid, and debt requires interest."

"I'll set it right. I'll make it up to you."

Katherine's face was suddenly hard. "Yes you will Elena. Or the witch will pay."

"She's Emily's descendent," the human said quickly. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"It means a great deal to me – more than you can understand. I feel so strongly for Emily that one of her descendents would have to kill somebody I love to break my bond with her family. She could have done almost anything. But what did she do?"

Elena closed her eyes briefly. "She didn't understand."

"She's no fool. You know that. "

"We'll repair the damage."

"And the interest will be paid" Katherine said as she left - she was gone as quickly as she came.

* * *

Not Safe

Elena did her best to calm herself. She managed to sit up and scoot to the edge of the bed before she called softly for him.

"Damon, are you there. Please come here."

He was there with the first call.

The vampire was immediately concerned when he saw her. "What's wrong?"

"Katherine."

"She was here? Just now?"

Elena nodded.

"I am really off my game," Damon said, shaking his head.

"I know. It's not your fault. But we need to figure out how to get you better."

"I'll get stronger," he assured her. "I feel better now, after having fed."

"OK. But we'll talk with the others in the morning – see if they have any other ideas."

Damon was confused, but he nodded agreement.

"Sorry to have bothered you. Would you wait outside nearby again until morning?"

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about what happened with Katherine?"

"Tomorrow. I need some sleep" True, though she doubted it would come now.

"OK." The vampire nodded and left through the window.

Elena knew she couldn't keep it from him – Damon would be able to hear her conversion. But she would leave that worry until the morning. She found her cell phone and called Stefan.

"Elena?" he answered in a quiet voice.

"Stefan, is Bonnie there?"

"Just a sec", Stefan whispered. After he moved into another room he said "she's sleeping on the couch."

"And you can see her right now?"

"Yes."

She released a sigh of relief. "Good. Stefan, do not leave her alone. She is not safe. Please call Mr. Saltzman and have him pick us up to meet together as early as possible at her house. OK?"

"I will. Anything I should know before then?"

"Just stay with her Stefan, please."


	7. Picking a Side

Used to Waiting

"Absolutely not!" Maybe it wasn't a yell, but it was close.

"Last night you were all 'oh I'll go there with you Elena, might be some trouble, I'll take care of it for you'." Elena said to Damon as they stood outside her house. Alaric was waiting to take them to Bonnie's house.

"That was to protect you on the way and you know it. I am not going to let the wi…her … work her mojo on me. She doesn't like me and I don't trust her and you know that as well."

"Damon, please. Katherine will hurt Bonnie."

"You'll find that Katherine and I are on the same side on this. We're usually on the same side period. There's a reason I've tried to move heaven and earth for her."

Elena wasn't happy about being caught in the middle between the vampire and the witch, but she couldn't bear to lose either. "Damon, don't make me choose between you and Bonnie."

"Why not? Bonnie has made her choice. What's yours?"

"Damon…"

"Go there. Have your meeting. And come up with a different plan. She is not getting another shot at me."

"At least come and sit at the table with us. Hear the discussion and help."

Damon was still angry. "I'm not going to be in the same room with her, unless I have the drop on her."

Elena gave up. "What are you going to do then?"

"I'm hungry. Right now I'm going hunting. And then I will wait for you to decide. I'm getting used to waiting for you."

It stung, just a little. "What if I need your help? Will you still help me?" Elena asked tentatively, hoping she hadn't broken something between them.

"Anywhere but in her house. Anything but take her magic."

"How will I know where you are?"

"I'll know where you are. But just in case…" Damon held up his cell phone as he walked away.

* * *

How Stupid?

Alaric had seen the entire confrontation, but only heard bits and pieces. "I get the feeling I'm missing some information here."

"You just saw 'Plan A' blow up." Elena replied. She didn't continue.

Alaric glanced at her as much as he dared as he drove. She looked tired and worried.

"And 'Plan B'?"

"Working on it."

Alaric hit the brakes as a figure darted in front of them. Before he came to a stop, she was inside, behind them. He was able to pull over to the side of the road.

"I've gotta keep the doors locked when I drive," he said as he looked in the rear-view mirror.

"If you think it will help." Isobel replied.

Elena tensed slightly. They had not parted on the best of terms last time.

"Nice to see you again, Elena." The cold monotone was back.

"You said she didn't want to see me," Elena said to Alaric.

"I think what he meant" Isobel said, "was that Katherine didn't send me to talk to you."

"Then why are you? Isn't dangerous to go against her wishes?" Elena asked, tension was being replaced by annoyance.

"Her wishes for me do not concern you. The time for my part has not yet come. She does not forbid family visits."

"Yeah, she's big into family." Elena said. Then she expressed her frustration "Why are you working for her?"

"Why are you?" Isobel's icy tone remained.

Alaric tensed. "You're working for Katherine?" he asked Elena.

Elena remained fixed on Isobel. "She has leverage on me. But what can she have on you?"

"There are all sorts of leverage, Elena." Then she spoke to Alaric. Her tone changed again. "Rick - please. Take her and leave Mystic Falls. At least for a little while. Until things settle down."

"What?" Elena asked. "You're protecting me now?"

"It wouldn't be the first time." Isobel's tone was almost sad again.

Alaric spoke up now. "How can you say that? You threatened her."

"Oh, pay attention!" Isobel yelled, sounding frustrated. "I threatened blood and mayhem. I did not threaten Elena or you."

"That makes no sense." Alaric said.

"Actually, it does." Elena replied, her eyes still fixed on Isobel.

"Time is running out. You're going to see a witch that has incurred the wrath of Katherine. How stupid can you be?"

"It's loyalty, not stupidity." Elena said.

Isobel paused for a moment and returned to her normal, icy tone. "Loyalty has cost as much blood as anything. You have to choose a side Elena. You cannot side with both Bonnie and Katherine. You should both leave while you can."

The next thing they knew, the door closed and Isobel was gone.

Alaric stared at Elena. "You're working for Katherine?"

"I'm trying to keep Bonnie alive. Let's just go."

"Yeah. Going to the witch's house and the waiting vampire with the vampire queen's minion. How stupid am I?"

"I'm not her minion." Elena claimed as they left.

* * *

Books and Keys

Bonnie's door opened before they knocked.

"No Damon?" Stefan asked as they entered and went to the waiting table where Bonnie sat.

"He wouldn't come. Something about not wanting to be in the same room as Bonnie."

"We don't need him," Bonnie said bitterly.

"Actually, we do." Elena replied. "Katherine demands that he be healed before she'll leave you alone. I'm not even sure she'll do it then."

"Heal him? Undo what I did to avenge Grams and Vicki and who knows who else?"

"Avenge?" Elena shook her head in exasperation. "Are you doing this for revenge? They can't be brought back. All you can do is lose yourself. She will kill you for what you did."

"She might try, but she'll have a fight."

"At what cost, Bonnie? I'm here because she threatens my family and you. But that is not all she threatens. She says she'll destroy Mystic Falls. The town has caused her little but pain – she would like nothing better than to destroy it. And you're giving her a reason to."

Bonnie was silent but did not look convinced. Stefan and Alaric just stared.

Finally Bonnie spoke again. "I've thought about what you said, Elena. I probably should have thought it out a little more before going after him. But he got what he deserved. I don't regret it."

"If you were trying to send a message to Damon, you did." Elena was speaking calmly now. "It's no longer about him. It's about keeping everybody here alive."

"I don't know if I could heal him, even if I wanted to." Bonnie said.

"It doesn't matter anymore. He doesn't want you to try. He doesn't trust you."

"Then why are you here Elena." Bonnie sounded bitter again.

"Because we have to do something. The stakes are too high. Please help me figure this out."

Stefan decided to interrupt the confrontation. "Did you see Katherine alone, Elena?"

"Yes. She only came to me when no one else was around. She even made me send Damon out once."

Stefan shook his head. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to face her like that."

Elena could tell he meant what he said, but did not want the subject changed. "I'm dealing Stefan. Believe me, it is not me we have to worry about."

"What happened to Damon?" Alaric asked. "He looks fine."

"Bonnie misunderstood something and tried to kill him with a spell. It nearly worked." Elena explained.

Alaric smiled. "I could've watched that. But he's fine now?"

"No. He just looks fine. He seems to have his senses like hearing and his speed, but he can't take a punch."

"Handsome but can't bully anymore. Seems like a dream-Damon."

Elena shook her head. "Katherine doesn't agree. She wants the old Damon back and she'll do anything to get it."

"Except attack you." Bonnie said.

"Get over it Bonnie! This is your doing." The two girls glared at each other.

"What exactly did she say Elena," Stefan interrupted again, trying to calm things down.

"She said it would be hard for him to recover from a witch's spell, but she wants him back exactly the way he was before. If I can't get that, she'll come after Bonnie."

"Do either of you know of an instance like this in the past?" Stefan asked Alaric and Bonnie. "Do you know how or if a vampire can recover from this?"

"Never been interested in the vampire's recovery." Alaric said. Bonnie just shook her head.

"Maybe there's something in one of these books?" Stefan asked Bonnie.

"I don't know. But Elena said Damon wouldn't let me do it."

'If we can find a spell, maybe we can find another witch," Stefan suggested.

Bonnie stared at Stefan, not sure what to think. "I'll look."

"We can help," the vampire offered.

"No! Vampires can't touch them."

"Bonnie…" Elena began.

"They're charmed. Vampires can't touch them."

"I'll help – if it's OK?" Alaric said.

Bonnie nodded.

"We'll get through these. You two can see if there are any other options." Alaric instructed.

Elena nodded and moved to Bonnie's couch.

Stefan joined her and put his arm around her. He was disappointed when she didn't snuggle up to him. "You're tired. Could you sleep for a bit?"

Elena shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm worried sick. Isobel stopped us on our way here. She said I had to choose a side – Bonnie or Katherine."

"You're here Elena. Doesn't that mean you've chosen?"

"I don't think it's that simple. Bonnie was wrong, but I can't abandon her, I can't leave her to Katherine. I couldn't bear to lose either her or Damon."

Stefan understood, but was unsure. "There's no guarantee this will work."

Elena turned to look into his eyes. "It has to, Stefan – I can't think of another way."

"What else did Katherine tell you? Is there anything we need to talk about?"

Elena didn't want to think about that. There were bigger things to be dealt with. "Maybe sometime. She said a lot. I don't think any of it was a lie or false, but maybe you could tell me. Not now, though. I need to check on Damon."

Stefan pulled his arm from her and scooted away from her slightly. "Of course you do. And you need me to stay here." He was visibly irritated.

She let the gap between them remain, but held his eyes. "I know what it sounds like, and I'm sorry, but I need his buy-in on our plan. I am worried about him. You haven't seen him – he's not looking good. And though I am not sure Katherine would attack Bonnie if you were not here, I am absolutely sure she won't if you are here. That is one thing she told me that I believe."

Stefan relented and pulled his keys out of his pocket. "OK – do what you have to do – take my car. But come back soon."

"I will" Elena said as she accepted his keys and left.


	8. The Crescendo

Cooped Up

Elena paused as she stepped out of Bonnie's house. This wasn't getting any easier. She saw Stefan's car nearby, and headed towards it.

She was still a few feet away when suddenly a man – a vampire - was in front of her. He just stood there, looking at her. She was tired and upset - she glared at him.

"What do you want?"

Immediately, Damon was beside her. "I think he wants to be noticed."

"Yeah. Got that." Then she spoke to the vampire, "Tell Katherine to at least keep her goons out of sight."

She walked around him, he did not try to stop her. She climbed in the driver's seat as Damon sat on the passenger side.

"And I think he was hoping to see a little more fear." Damon added.

Elena let out a soft laugh. "I've dealt with you at you're worst. I'm dealing with Katherine now. Its going to take more that that. Ride with me for a bit?"

Damon nodded and Elena began driving.

"There's more around you know," Damon said.

"How many?"

"Three or four, maybe more. I can't be sure – we're stealthy, remember."

"Any around my house?" Elena asked.

"None I've seen. But I haven't seen Katherine and apparently she's there."

"She's just bothering me so far. I hope she doesn't start going public."

"Agreed. Any luck back there?"

Elena wasn't sure how to respond. "They're looking for a healing spell or something like that. If they find one, we'll try to find a different witch to cast it."

"And you think I'll sit still for that?"

Elena's heart sank. "Come on Damon. I know you've been friends with at least one witch – Bree in uh, in Georgia."

"Yes, and what did she try to do?"

"Damon, can we just take this one step at a time? If we find something, will you at least consider having someone other that Bonnie cast the spell?"

Damon leaned back and stretched his neck. "I really am feeling better today, Elena. Getting out, chasing someone … I mean something. Fresh air and fresh blood."

Elena was getting cranky. "Damon! Will you at least consider it? For me?"

Damon hesitated only briefly. "For you."

"OK." Elena said softly and pulled over. "I'm tired, I don't how long it's been since I've had anything to eat. Will you take me to get something?"

Damon smirked. "You do remember that you boyfriend and best friend are cooped up in a house surrounded by hostile vampires?"

"I remember."

Damon smiled as he exited the car to switch places with her. "Just checking."

* * *

Time to Stop

Elena returned to Bonnie's house in the evening ready to stay overnight. Stefan had agreed, reluctantly, to stay near her home instead. She remembered something she had forgotten to ask him.

"Did you see that vampire that stood in front of me this morning as I was leaving."

"Yeah. You looked like you handled it well. "

"Do you know where they are around here?"

"Some of them. Bonnie knows they're here as well. Are you sure you don't want me to stay here?"

Elena shook her head. "No. We should be safe as long as we're in the house. I'm more afraid of Katherine showing up at my house without me there."

"OK. I've got it covered. Elena, they have to stop soon," Stefan added, pointing at Bonnie and Alaric. "They've been at it for hours. They need rest."

Elena studied her best friend, reading intently, but obviously trying to stay awake. "Yeah. So do we."

* * *

Black Knight

It was getting close to midnight. Damon was fairly far from Bonnie's house, though he could see it clearly, when Isobel approached him.

"Well, well. Her white knight is here." Isobel said coolly. "Or is it her black knight?"

"Still threatening Elena, Isobel? You know what happened last time."

"Yes. I got what I wanted and a number of vampires burned. Strange that you're still alive. Yet here you are risking what's left of your life for her – just like you did for Katherine."

"She's nothing like Katherine." Damon retorted.

The other vampire laughed. "Oh dear. Damon Salvatore – my creator so to speak. Taught me so much, so much older than me, yet still so clueless about Katherine and Elena and women in general. She is exactly like Katherine. Either of them would do anything in her power to get what she wants. Right now Elena wants two Salvatores to choose from. Right now she wants everything peaceful, everyone happy, everyone to like her, no one to get hurt, no one to die. Sound like anyone else? But eventually it will change. Eventually she will change. Just like Katherine."

Damon glared at her. "It was a mistake to change you - one I should repair."

"Maybe you should, but you can't. Not right now anyway."

"Then take me out now while you can."

"Case in point Damon. You have no idea who's got your back." And Isobel was gone.

* * *

Witch's Realization

Bonnie was laying on the couch pretending to be asleep. Occasionally she opened her eyes just enough to look at Elena but she was hard to see in the dark. Was she asleep yet?

Bonnie had realized something about half way through the day while she was reading her books. Elena was scared, afraid. Very afraid. Truthfully she knew that Elena wasn't afraid of anything. She had stared down Damon when he was at his worst while she was bleeding. She had entered a tomb full of vampires without a passing thought, except for who she needed to get out. But Elena was afraid now.

And then, Bonnie began to calm down and to think clearly for the first time since she had the vision – the vision of Damon burying John Gilbert's body. She had been so filled with rage, with anger for this and so much that was done in the past that she had mistaken Elena's fear for arrogant self-righteousness. She should have known better.

But now what to do. This plan of Elena's or Stefan's or whoever was the dumbest plan ever. Did they think her spell books were public property? They were her family's heritage. Even if they did find what they were looking for, a witch's spells were so personal, it was unlikely another witch would be able to use it. And where would they find this other witch – the yellow pages? No, they would want Bonnie to find her.

As she sat there looking at books and thinking, Bonnie came up with a plan. Her powers were increasing. She could protect herself – she did not need vampires to protect her from other vampires. Her research had revealed something that might help, but she needed to somehow remove Elena's involvement. So she decided that she would go to Katherine herself. She would need to sneak out of her own home. It was getting close to midnight which was fine. She would be more powerful then anyway.

She glanced at Elena and decided now was the time. She arose as quickly and quietly as she could, went to her bedroom and prepared herself. Then she quietly slipped through back door into the night.

She knew Damon was in front of the house, though fairly far away. She spoke quietly, hoping he would not hear her. "I would like to see Katherine."

There were three near her immediately – two men and a woman. She said a spell under her breath and sent a small jolt towards one of the men. He felt it and froze.

The woman and the other man approached her.

"I just want to talk to Katherine," the witch repeated. The two vampires approached her carefully.

"She wants to talk to you." The woman said. "But you will need to wear this" she added, holding up a bracelet.

Bonnie's attention was on the man – he was getting too close, and she was preparing to repeat the spell. The suddenly, the woman was at her side. She had Bonnie's arm and before she knew it, the bracelet was on Bonnie's wrist.

"What's this?" She asked, trying to grab it with her other hand. The vampires were too quick. Each man had an arm now.

"If it works," said the woman, "it should block your power."

Bonnie was scared now. Her voice did rise "A bracelet?"

"We walk around in daylight." Isobel replied. "It's amazing what that girl can do with jewelry."

Bonnie tried a spell – speaking out loud. The bracelet was working and the vampires were taking her away from her home.

* * *

The Hatred

Elena was rudely awaked by a loud knock and the door bell. It took a second to clear her mind and realize that she was in Bonnie's house, on a chair near the couch where Bonnie was sleeping – or was supposed to be sleeping.

"Bonnie!" Elena ran from room to room looking for her friend while the knocking and doorbell continued. When she could not find her, she finally went to the door and turned on the porch light. The knocking stopped. Thinking herself safe from vampires, she tentatively opened the door.

"Isobel."

"Elena, you'll want to come with me."

"No I won't," Elena denied. "I won't ever want to go with you. Where's Bonnie?"

"She's with Katherine."

Elena gasped. "How did you get in to take her?"

"She came out. And you will want to come with me. She's alone with Katherine."

Elena was beginning to realize the seriousness of the problem. "OK, let me just call Stefan."

Isobel spoke louder this time. "Elena! There is no time. She is alone with Katherine. How long will you let her be alone with Katherine?"

"Damon?" Elena was shaking now.

"He will wake up in a few minutes, get his brother and follow my trail. Your friend is alone with Katherine."

"OK. Ok. What do I need to do?"

"First come out of the house."

Elena did.

"By far the fastest way for us to get there," Isobel said, "is for me to carry you."

Her daughter stared at her briefly, then nodded.

"You have no idea how much I hate you." Elena said as Isobel picked her up.

"Yes I do," Isobel said under her breath. Then louder she said "you might want to close your eyes."


	9. Witch's Rescue

Elena was stunned. She had expected to be handled roughly. But she was held gently, almost cradled. She actually felt safe in Isobel's arms. When they arrived at the door of a vacant house - was that a hug from Isobel as she carefully set Elena down?

Elena could only stare at Isobel as the vampire whispered "I really wish you had left town when I asked. Are you always this obedient?"

It took Isobel's spoken "go in now" as she nodded her head towards the door to get Elena to break eye contact, turn around and enter the house.

Then Isobel had a choice to make. She had done all Katherine asked of her – secure the witch, immobilize Damon (for a bit, no real damage), and bring Elena here. Katherine did not forbid her from entering with Elena, but she wondered if it would be better for her only daughter if she were there, or not there. At least she knew that either way, Elena would be safe with Katherine. She had made that deal with the vampire long ago. She decided it didn't matter. She wanted to be there. She took control of herself, returned to her normal, distant demeanor, and followed Elena.

"Ah, Elena. So nice to see you again." Katherine said. The room was brightly lit. Elena's eyes at first followed Katherine's voice and she met her eyes. Then she glanced nearby to where Bonnie was crumpled on the floor.

"Bonnie!" Elena ran to her, noticing several other vampires in the room. She knelt by Bonnie. The witch looked bad – it took a few seconds for Elena to tell that she was breathing.

Katherine spoke again. Elena tried to pay attention to both the vampire and her best friend.

"We've had a delightful chat, Elena. Bonnie has been very helpful. For instance, she discovered, in her research, that Damon will recover his full strength without needing further assistance – just a few weeks time is required, as long as he does not run afoul of another witch. This is excellent news – all I could have ever hoped for."

Elena was angry. It was the first time in Katherine's presence that she couldn't feel the fear. "Then why did you do this to her?"

"You know, Elena. We discussed it thoroughly. Debts must be paid."

Elena stood and turned toward Katherine, still standing by Bonnie. She managed to catch the vampire's eyes. "Then let me take her to a hospital. You're done with her."

"Well, there is still the matter of the interest."

"Interest? What else can you do to her?"

"Oh dear!" Katherine's eyes moved back to Bonnie. "Has she died already?"

"No more, please. She can't take anymore."

The vampire was not moved. "In my day, they used to say an eye for an eye, Elena. I learned long ago that such was not sufficient. If things are just left even, events recur much more often than if you take, say, an eye and a hand for an eye."

"Please Katherine, you've done worse to her than she did to Damon. Please let me get her to a hospital. I will find a way to make it up to you."

The vampire smiled - though it was not a happy smile. "Ah, then Elena wishes to choose the interest. If not the witch, then who will it be? Your brother Jeremy, perhaps? Or a stranger? So many choices."

"Elena, no." Bonnie said weakly. Her eyes were open, but she had not moved. "No one else. Let it end with me."

Elena returned to her side tried to comfort her when there was a commotion at the door. Stefan and Damon had arrived. They put up a bit of a fight but were quickly subdued by the other vampires.

Elena did not like the interruption. "Stefan, Damon – no. Not now"

"Katherine" Stefan demanded, "Let them go."

Damon didn't speak, but looked at Elena frantically. She shook her head.

Katherine did not turn towards them. "Silence please. Elena is choosing. It needn't be a person Elena. Fire perhaps. A school or even the hospital, though there may be some collateral damage."

"Katherine, please. Leave her alone. She won't hurt him again." Elena's plea came from Bonnie's side.

"Oh, I know that. We worked that out very early in our conversation. I've done every test I can think of and I'm sure she is telling the truth. There is no further danger to Damon from her."

"Then, please, let us go."

"I'm afraid I can't. Further delay would deteriorate the message. It must be crystal clear, Elena. Choose now."

Elena's eyes glanced around the room stopping briefly at all who she recognized - Stefan, Damon, even Isobel. Then her eyes met Katherine's cold eyes. Elena turned back to Bonnie and gave her as much of a hug as she dared. She whispered "Don't worry. We'll get you some help in a minute."

Elena turned to face Katherine. "OK, I've chosen. Me."

"What? No." seemed to come from Damon, Stefan and Bonnie all at once.

"Silence." Katherine seemed to have a bemused expression. "It is not your debt to pay."

"I'm taking it. I choose me. I will pledge my loyalty to you for what you call the interest."

"Elena," Stefan said, "You don't know what you're doing."

"Yes I do. I'm saving Bonnie's life, or Jeremy's or both."

He tried again. "You don't know who she is."

Elena stood up and started walking towards Katherine. "I know you loved her."

She locked eyes with Katherine and walked forward, only stopping when she stood immediately in front of her.

"Stop!" Stefan yelled. "She could rip your throat out"

Elena's eyes finally left Katherine's and moved to Stefan. "I know that. She knows I know that. I know that she knows I know that. Please shut up."

Katherine's face shifted from a slight smile and back to cold indifference as Elena's eyes returned to hers. She made Elena stand and stare at her in total silence.

"You and the witch," Katherine finally said.

Elena thought she heard a faint gasp from Bonnie's direction as she shook her head. "No. Just me."

She hesitated and added "You know she'll help me if I need it. She'll owe me a life-debt."

"And if I refuse?" Katherine asked.

"Then you lose me. I'm not losing Bonnie or Jeremy. I've already lost too much. I'm not losing anyone else."

Katherine stared at her for what seemed like forever before finally speaking softly. "Say the words."

Elena took a deep breath and held Katherine's eyes. "I, Elena Gilbert, hereby pledge my loyalty to Katherine Pierce. I swear to serve and to protect her for the rest of my life."

"And for as long as I otherwise may exist." Katherine amended.

"And for as long as I otherwise may exist." Elena repeated.

Katherine continued to speak softly. "Bravo again, Elena. All debts are paid. We both have what we wanted. You have a witch that will recover – eventually, the last of the Gilberts, and a town that will never know who saved it, why, or even that it was saved. Was it worth it? I have a Damon who will be his old self in a couple of weeks, a witch who understands, who will maybe even be an ally, and an amazingly unexpected amount of interest."

She smiled – not the cold smile Elena had seen so often. Was it genuine? "I look forward to the future, Elena. It'll be a hell of a ride…"

One head motion from Katherine and the room was empty of vampires, except for Stefan and Damon. Stefan rushed to Elena who was rushing towards Bonnie. Damon stood still, just inside the door.

"She's bad Stefan. We need an ambulance."

"No," he replied. "We need to take her to the hospital now."

Elena turned to him and expressed her concern. "Can we safely move her?"

"I can. I'll take her straight there."

"Thanks."

He only nodded in reply.

"Stefan. Stefan" Elena repeated until he turned his eyes toward her. "Thank you and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for anything I said or did the last few days that hurt you. Thank you for helping me and for taking care of my best friend."

"OK," he said.

Elena gave him a kiss on the cheek as he carefully lifted her. "Please hurry. I'm right behind you."

She saw the blur and felt the air move as he left.

She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment – finally thinking she could relax, for just a minute.

When she opened her eyes, Damon had not moved.

"He's going to think you're bipolar," Damon said. "Yelling at him one minute, kissing him the next."

"Yeah." Elena said softly to herself.

She turned to face Damon. Nearly the entire room was between them. She slowly moved, closing the gap. "Damon, will you help me?"

"I'll help you with anything – you know that. But what exactly do you mean this time?"

"Help me with Katherine. I don't know how it works. Is this like an every day thing or a once every 30 years thing?"

Damon's face remained blank. "I don't know. I've never been her minion."

She was very close now. Definitely in his space. He still did not move.

"But you did what she asked you to as long as you had her." She said. "And you would still do what she asked of you now, wouldn't you?"

"Yes. I did it then and would do it now."

"Will you help me?" Elena repeated.

"I will" Damon nodded his head. "Anything you want."

"Thank you. Thank you for that. I need to know I can count on someone while I'm doing this, and I don't know if…" The rest remained unspoken. "And thank you for everything the last few days. I could not have made it without you."

"It's not like I don't owe you my life, Elena"

Elena held his eyes. "And would you not call me her minion?"

Damon just smirked. That made her feel just a bit better about how things stood between them. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Now, I need to go repair some damage."

"Stefan?" She thought she saw a bit of a wince.

"Yeah. I know and you know that there's something between us. But I'm not willing to give up on Stefan yet, and I know you haven't given up on Katherine yet."

Damon just stared ahead of himself as she continued speaking. "You were right of course. There's a choice to be made, Damon – We'll both have to make it. But we don't have to choose today."

She left the house with him still standing stiffly, staring ahead.

End of Part I - "Vampires and Witches and Elena". The next chapter, the Epilogue, introduces Part II.


	10. Eiplogue  Dreaded Meeting

Epilogue to Part 1 - Dreaded Meeting 

"I want if off Elena. I can't stand it." Bonnie said again.

Bonnie was recovering. She looked much better and was starting to act like her old self again. But she would be in the hospital for a few more days. Elena and Stefan visited every day, with Elena spending as much of the day as possible there. And everyday was the same since Bonnie had noticed that the bracelet was still on her wrist.

"I'll tell her when I see her. I'm sure she didn't mean for it to stay on you forever." Elena replied.

"She knows it'd be better for her kind if it did. You can't get in touch with her?"

Elena shook her head and touched the bracelet on Bonnie's wrist. She would never tell Bonnie, but it fascinated her. She ran her fingers over the surface feeling for a latch or clip or anything that would be a clue as to how to remove it. Nothing.

"Have you tried any magic?" Elena asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "It takes concentration. I haven't been able to do that here. You haven't seen Katherine at all?"

"No." Elena replied. "And the more time goes by, the more nervous I get about what it will be like when I do. I really have no idea what I've gotten myself into."

"Elena, I'm sorry…" the witch began before being cut off by her best friend.

"No Bonnie. I've told you before, it was my choice. I was doing everything she wanted me to anyway because of her threats. This just made it official and hopefully the threats will stop. Besides, seeing you like this - getting better. It was worth the price I paid."

"You don't know the price you paid and it was still my fault."

"Fine. We'll work out your punishment later. I have to get home before Jenna starts calling. I think I'm on thin ice with her." Elena gave Bonnie a hug before turning to leave.

"Punishment?" Bonnie asked as Elena left the room. Elena did not turn back.

Elena had spent the first few days after she had saved Bonnie from Katherine walking in dread if not fear. She was afraid that Katherine was going to show up and ask her to kill someone.

But as time passed, Elena thought about it less and less. Things were improving with Stefan, though Damon barely talked to her. She wasn't sure what to do about that. She had almost stopped thinking about Katherine and was worried about other things. She was seeing Bonnie every day so she never forgot what had happened, but each time she arrived home and everything was normal, each time she entered her room and no one was there, Katherine became a more distant memory.

So at least she was not nervous when she was sitting in front of her mirror, brushing her hair and heard the knock on the door.

"Come in." Elena called back. She was decent – no problem whether it was Jeremy or Jenna.

"Thank you Elena," came the soft reply. Elena could not see the door from where she sat, but she knew who it was. The dreaded time had finally arrived. She was up in an instant.


	11. The Task and the Exchange

**Part II - The Replacement**

The Task

Elena had no idea how to react as Katherine entered her bedroom She closed the door behind her, and then stood against it as the vampire walked around her room.

"I've never paid much attention to your room. It's very nice."

"Thanks." Elena said. "Do you want to sit?"

Katherine nodded and sat in a chair near the bed. She glanced up at Elena who had not moved. "You?"

"Oh, yeah." Elena quickly sat on the bed – not too close to Katherine, but where she could easily keep eye contact. "Just nervous I guess. I don't know what to expect."

"No need Elena."

Katherine paused, so Elena added, "I still am. Did you need me for something?"

Katherine sighed. "It'll take some time for us to get used to each other. And yes. I have a request for you Elena."

The girl tensed.

"I want to replace you for a week."

Elena did not understand. "Replace me? What do you mean replace me?"

"I want to be you. I want to live your life, to go where you would, go see what you would see. I want to replace you for a week."

"Why would you want that?" Elena asked, as she realized something. Katherine's expression wasn't icy or distant or any of the things she had seen before. She looked pretty much normal.

The vampire did not respond immediately. She seemed to be considering her reply – something else Elena had never seen in her. "You probably won't understand and you don't need to. Let's just say that when I was here recently, I realized that there are things I miss. Things I want to experience again, if just for a week. Now I have a chance to do just that."

Elena still did not really understand. "What kind of things?"

"I want to talk to Damon and Stefan without being judged by them. I want to walk the streets of Mystic Falls and see what you thought so much of that you paid the price you paid. I just want to experience a normal life again."

Elena did not really intend to, but she voiced her thoughts. "But you could do so much damage to…to everything. You promised that my family and the town would be safe."

"I still promise that Elena. I will cause no trouble. No one will know it is me – they will think it is you."

"Even Stefan?" Elena asked. "Do you think he would not know it was not me?"

"Damon did not know when he first saw me. Yes, I think neither would know. Nor would your brother or your aunt."

"I don't think I could trust you to not do something to mess things up with Stefan or Jeremy or Bonnie or someone."

"That, Elena," Katherine said, "is the point. Or at least part of it. I have to trust you when I ask you to um…help me. I am trusting you now. It is only right that you learn to trust me as well."

"Where would I go? How would I know what you're doing?"

"You wouldn't. And you can go anywhere you want. Have you ever just wanted to get away from everyone and everything for a bit? This is your chance."

"No." Elena said quickly, though there were times when she wanted to do just that.

Katherine sighed. "Then you could go to the witch's house. There is no one there is there?"

"No, but you can't call her that if you are supposed to be me."

"True," said Katherine. "You will have to help me with some things."

Elena thought briefly and said, "One day." She could stand that – and it really wasn't that bad of a request. So much better than what she feared. Surely she could repair a day's worth of Katherine's damage if she needed to.

"Four days - and this is not a negotiation."

Elena reluctantly nodded.

"Good. We will start the day after tomorrow."

"So soon? Can't I have some time to prepare?"

"Do you really mean time to tip someone off?"

The human girl shook her head. "You know I wouldn't risk that."

"I know. I trust you. You will spend at least part of tomorrow bringing me up to speed, so to speak. We'll need to co-ordinate what we wear on the day of the switch. Isn't this fun?"

Then Katherine added, "Oh, and Elena, I'll need your necklace."

"The vervain? Why?"

"Because it's yours, Elena. I will bring it back to you tomorrow, but I need to have it copied."

"Copied?"

"Yes. I will have a replica that will look like it, even smell like it – to a vampire. But it will be what protects me from the sun. I won't be able to use what I usually do if I am dressed as you."

Elena nodded. "I understand." She hesitantly took off her necklace and offered it to Katherine.

"Trust, Elena. We are building trust." Katherine said as let the necklace drop from Elena's hand to a small bag.

"We?"

"You needn't worry, Damon is near. You are in no danger tonight."

"Does he know you're here?"

"No and I don't recommend you tell him. Until tomorrow." Katherine was gone – the door closing quietly behind her. Elena was amazed. She could be as quiet as she was fast.

* * *

The Chat

A phone call. Of course Elena talked with Stefan by phone, even Damon. She had even called Isobel once. Still, she never expected a call from Katherine. It didn't seem like something Katherine would do.

She had to make up an excuse for Stefan and she felt guilty about it. But at least she had time to formulate it and make it sound fairly reasonable. Then she met Katherine at a restaurant far enough out of town that she did not expect to be recognized..

Her necklace was returned to her and she quickly put it around her neck. She wondered how she could test it to make sure it was still what it was supposed to be.

The conversation really wasn't terrible – she almost enjoyed it, like chatting with a sister.

"You don't have to worry about Caroline." Elena explained. "She really doesn't listen to herself as she's talking. If you don't know something and she presses you on it just say something like 'Sorry, I forgot'. Then she'll remind you of it."

"And the boyfriend Matt?"

"Ex-boyfriend. He probably won't come looking for you – it would just be a chance meeting. Minor pleasantries – 'hey, how are you'. Not much more now. You can ask about his mom, that might stop any conversation right there."

"Do you hug?"

"No," Elena replied, cringing a little. "No touching."

Elena hadn't eaten much to this point, so she took a few bites.

Katherine watched as if she was trying to memorize the movements, then asked "So, you see Bonnie every day?"

Elena smiled. "Bonnie. Very good. And yes I do. Every day." Elena's expression changed. "You've promised me she is safe with you. You won't hurt her."

"I won't."

Elena remembered her promise to friend. "She still has the bracelet - the one the blocks her powers. She would like to have it removed."

"I'm sure she would."

"Katherine, she can't help me without her power."

"And she can't hurt either of us with the bracelet in place. Let's just see how it goes."

Elena sighed and nodded.

"Aunt Jenna?" Katherine asked.

"Just Jenna. She wants us to talk more, but I haven't. It won't look weird if you avoid her or brush her off."

"But if she forces herself on me?"

"She's done nothing but help me. But I still manage to avoid her. I'm sure you can too, just please be nice about it."

The vampire moved on. "Jeremy?"

"Not talking to me. I keep trying, he says no. He feels betrayed because I kept the vampire stuff from him. He probably won't say anything to you."

Katherine nodded. "Damon?"

This was cutting too close. It no longer felt like a chat – more like an interrogation. "He's keeping his distance. I guess he's upset with me. I understand. He's helped me so much, but I can't be what I think he wants – at least not right now."

"And what is that?"

"A replacement for you. I'm with Stefan, and I've told him that."

Katherine paused for a few seconds before asking "Anything else I should know about you and Damon?"

"He promised to help me if I needed it when I'm doing something for you."

The vampires seemed surprised. "You asked him to do this for you?"

The girl nodded. "Yes."

"Why not Stefan?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm afraid of losing him. Maybe Stefan's feelings for me don't seem quite so unconditional as Damon's."

"That I understand." Katherine said.

* * *

The Exchange

Maybe it wasn't intentional, but it seemed like it was. Elena had made an excuse about picking something up for Bonnie. She had Stefan drive her to Bonnie's house (as Katherine had instructed), and had to convince him to wait for her in the car. Katherine was not making this easy.

Elena entered the house and immediately went to a window where she could see Stefan. She couldn't help wondering what would change between them in the next few days because of Katherine. Really, she couldn't stand giving up control of this relationship.

But she had promised and quickly grabbed a couple of framed pictures of Bonnie's ancestors. Then she went straight to the back door where Katherine was, as expected, waiting.

"What are these?" Katherine asked as Elena passed her the pictures.

"My excuse for coming. Bonnie doesn't know, but I think it'll please her to have them there. And my purse with phone and keys."

Katherine took the items and turned to leave.

"Please," Elena implored once more, "No damage."

"Trust me Elena. I only ask you to make a promise to me once. Please accord me the same respect."


	12. Message and Massacre

Stefan

Of course it was only day one and she had only seen Stefan so far, but Katherine thought she was doing well. She felt she was in character.

She could already tell – there was nothing there. None of the spark she had used compulsion to generate so long ago and no chance of using compulsion now. Actually it was getting to be a bit of a bore – could she last for 4 days of this?

They were at a restaurant, when Damon entered, caught her eyes briefly, and went to sit at the bar.

"I knew it was a mistake to bring you here," Stefan grumbled.

"Why? Don't you trust him? Or is it me?"

"No. Of course I trust you. It's just that his skulking around lately is getting to me. I try to talk to him, but he won't."

"Then let me. You know I can get through to him sometimes."

Stefan looked uncertain. "I don't know…"

"Let me give it a shot. What would you like me to tell him? Just to cut out the skulking?"

"I hate to say it, but I want him to go back to the way he was before the Bonnie incident. At least he had no problem telling me what was on his warped mind."

"OK," Katherine said rising. "Tell you his every thought. Got it."

"Not his every thought. Ugh."

She went to sit by Damon. What had Elena said about him? "Keeping his distance." She wondered how he would react when she was so close.

"Can I sit for a minute?"

Damon just nodded towards the stool next to him.

"Still not talking to me? I did save your life."

Damon's look at her was harsh – almost a glare. "Do you mean the Bonnie incident or the other times?"

Katherine's first thought was 'other times?' What she said was "Remind me of the other times."

"Do you mean Founder's Day when you made Bonnie save me? Or at the tomb when you came in after me when you found out the witches were going to leave me there. Or in Atlanta which you told me not to forget. Why are you bringing this up?"

Katherine was shocked, but managed to keep it to herself. She knew about Founder's Day, but not the others. Elena had done that much for him?

"Why do you think I did all that, Damon?"

"I don't know. Apparently for Stefan."

"You think Stefan wants you alive and healthy?" Katherine was proud of herself – dropping occasional words such as the "do" at the front the question, like Elena sometimes did.

"It makes more sense than the alternative."

"Don't be so sure."

Damon just looked at her, but at least the glare was gone.

"Stefan wants you to talk to him," she said.

The glare reappeared on Damon's face. "Are we still on what Stefan wants?"

She was sure now - it had only taken this long for her to feel it. It was clear – nothing for Stefan, something for Damon.

"Stefan wants you to talk to him, and I want you to talk to me."

Damon laughed to himself. "Talking to you has never worked out so well for me."

"Give it a chance, Damon."

"I have. And I've heard what you've said."

She had no idea what he was talking about. "Remind me."

Damon shook his head. "It was bad enough when you said it. I'm not repeating it."

"Things change. See you at my house later?" she asked as she left, returning to Stefan without looking back. She would have normally been a bit firmer, but she was still in character.

She found Damon's eyes briefly as he left the restaurant just seconds later.

"How'd it go?" Stefan asked.

"I said what I wanted to - I mean what we wanted to say." Her eyes returned to Stefan. "He knows we want him to open up."

"And the skulking?"

"Sorry, I forgot about that. It'll have to be next time."

* * *

Bonnie

Katherine had been glad to see Stefan under calm circumstances that morning. It was at least one point of the exercise – figure out exactly what, if anything, she still felt for the Salvatore brothers. Stefan had been a disappointment. It was getting harder to put up with him. Maybe it would have been that way before – she did a lot of compelling to make him what he was then.

She was seriously thinking of avoiding him for the rest of the four days.

However, she was glad to have him with her now as they approached Bonnie's room. It was nearly sundown. She knew that Elena's routine the last couple of days had been for Stefan to bring her here, spend some time with Bonnie, and then leave Elena to stay until visiting hours were over. Then she would get a ride home with another friend whose grandmother was in the hospital now.

She let Stefan take the lead. It was not hard to say a few pleasant things - until Stefan excused himself and left earlier than she expected. Had he misinterpreted her hesitation to talk as her wanting to be alone with Bonnie?

This four day switch with Elena was her choice. So many reasons to end it early, though – Stefan and Bonnie. But she intended to keep her promise – she would try to act as Elena would.

"You OK?" Bonnie asked. She had realized that Elena was acting a little weird.

"I am." Katherine moved to stand next to her. Her eyes were drawn to the bracelet.

Bonnie, noticing what she was looking at, asked "Were you able to talk to Katherine yet?"

"No."

Bonnie grimaced.

"But I think I'll see her soon. I'm sure she won't leave me alone forever. Will you do as she asks? Will you help me if I need your help?"

"I won't do as she asks. I will do as you ask."

Now all Katherine had to decide was if that was enough.

* * *

Damon

Katherine was in the kitchen helping Jenna – not being very responsive to her inquiries – when they heard the knock at the door. She stayed in the kitchen but, of course, heard everything. She went as soon as she knew.

"Damon." Jenna said as she opened the door.

"May I see Elena?"

Jenna looked behind her at Katherine who was just arriving.

"If it's OK. We'll just talk on the porch."

Jenna nodded, "All right. Just keep it … " The aunt didn't know how to finish that statement.

"We'll keep it verbal," Katherine said as she led Damon to the porch and sat down. He remained standing.

"Don't you want to sit?" she asked.

"Not yet. You need to tell me what's going on."

Katherine really was not sure what he meant. "I don't know what you mean."

"Suddenly you're willing to see me. But you're still with Stefan? I don't believe it."

She held his eyes. "Things aren't always as they seem, Damon."

Damon remained standing. "I know that. Is this your way of telling me that you've seen Katherine again?"

Katherine shook her head.

"What then?"

Katherine had a decision to make. Should she tell him? Would it cause the damage she had promised Elena she would avoid?

"Please Damon. This is hard for me. Please sit down."

Damon sat next to her and faced her, though his expression did not soften.

"Damon, I know I've hurt you and I'm sorry. What I don't know is what will happen in the next few days. I don't know what I'll do, or what Stefan will do, or what you'll do. I do know I'll be counting on you, counting on your feelings for me not to change. I need that. I need to be able to rely on you, I need to know you'll help me. I need to know that whatever I do, whatever happens, you love me."

Damon looked into the eyes he knew so well, the eyes of the girl he loved so long ago and so recently. He couldn't help himself. He kissed her.

She had no intention of letting him kiss her the way he had so recently and he didn't try to. The door opened and they both turned to face an annoyed Jenna.

"Verbal?"

"Just using my mouth Jenna." Katherine was irritated.

"I'll go." Damon said, leaving.

"Damon, things are not as they seem," Katherine sounded a little desperate as she watched him walk out of sight. She entered the house without looking at Jenna.

"Elena," Jenna called after her, "I don't pry very often…"

Katherine cut her off as she started up the stairs. "And I respond even less often." She entered Elena's room and slammed the door.

OK, maybe just a little damage.

* * *

The Trouble

Katherine had decided that one day was enough. She couldn't take anymore of the new Stefan, she was done with Bonnie, and she had tried to pass the message along to Damon the previous evening. She was done. She was on her way to Bonnie's house to give Elena her boring life back.

She was walking at a normal pace, enjoying feeling the sun, trying to decide exactly what to say when a van screeched to a stop beside her. A man came out of the front passenger side and grabbed her. He was strong – she immediately recognized him as a vampire.

He opened the back of the van just enough to shove her roughly inside. She hit something and was immediately pulled into a sitting position by another vampire who also had a knife against her throat. She could see another vampire next to him.

"Stay quiet." He told her.

She did, though her mind was racing. First the calculation. Could she take them? Certainly the two in the back of the van with her now.

Then the realization – the vampire that had grabbed her was walking in daylight. There were not a lot of sources for charms that would allow vampires to do that. Whoever he was, at one time or another, she might have trusted him enough to do that for him.

And finally she recognized that the target was Elena. She was ready to massacre anyone involved.

But she held back. She decided to let things run their course – for now.


	13. The Sun and the Accessories

Antsy

Elena was bored. She had been stuck in Bonnie's house for a full 24 hours and then some. She had brought a book to read and her journal to catch up with, but she was going crazy. She really didn't think of herself as a control freak, but lack of control, or maybe lack of awareness of what was going on, was getting to her. Couldn't she risk a call to someone just to see what was happening? Maybe Bonnie.

She went to Bonnie's back door and opened it, just standing in the doorway. She couldn't risk walking, but she had to leave.

She went to the Bonnie's phone and dialed.

"Mr. Saltzman?" She said when he answered. "I'm kind of stuck at Bonnie's house. Could you give me a ride home?"

She wasn't sure exactly what she would tell him, or what she would do if Katherine happened to see her. But she couldn't just sit there anymore.

* * *

Curse the Sun 

Katherine could feel the van's movement as it went through the streets of Mystic Falls.

The vampire had pulled the knife away from her, but kept it in his hand as he sat next to her.

"Why hasn't she said anything?" The vampire with the knife asked the other.

"You told her to be quiet. Compulsion."

"I wasn't looking into her eyes. And if what we've heard is true…"

He pulled her head to his and stared into her eyes. It took all the control she could muster not to kill him then. His eyes moved down and found her necklace. He ripped it from her neck.

"Vervain." He said as he threw the necklace aside. Then he stared into her eyes again and asked, "Why are you so quiet?"

"Afraid," Katherine whispered. She didn't really have to pretend to be upset with her necklace gone. She was now subject to sunlight.

"Good. Now sit still and stay quiet." He said as he shoved her back to where she had been.

She wanted to look for the necklace, but knew that fighting the vampires to find it might just rip the van apart, exposing her to the sunlight. So she waited.

Eventually, the van pulled into a garage. Safe from the sun, she decided to keep up her ruse for awhile to see if she could learn who they were and why they had taken her, why they were after Elena.

She continued to be roughly handled as she was pulled from a garage into what was probably used as a living room. She was forced into a chair and "compelled" to stay put. There were windows, but they were covered to keep the sun out. She felt much better with that much protection, and began to assess her kidnappers – 3 vampires and a human.

The human was the owner of the house and, of course, under compulsion.

She did not recognize the vampires. She estimated her odds in a fight to be at best 50/50, especially since she couldn't leave the house. That might work, but she preferred better odds.

She decided that, unless attacked, she would wait until they weren't paying attention to her. And by then, hopefully, she would have figured out their intentions.

* * *

The Accessories

It took longer than Elena preferred for Alaric to arrive. He had explained that he had some things to do and it would be mid-afternoon before he would arrive, but she was still annoyed. She did, however, have time to formulate an excuse.

She didn't allow him to knock – she just ran to his car when he arrived.

"So how did you get stuck here without a car?" Alaric asked – slightly confused that, instead of just climbing in and putting on her seatbelt, she was scrunching as much of herself as possible into the floor space by the seat.

"Stefan dropped me off. I was going to clean some, but forgot something so I need to go back home for a minute."

"You know I need you to put your seat belt on."

Elena did manage to grab the seatbelt and pull, it over her and snap it, though its placement was not comfortable – not that any other part of her was comfortable at the moment.

"Are you going to explain yourself" Alaric asked.

"Um, can I just say vampire stuff and leave it at that?"

"OK…" Alaric said slowly as he pulled out of Bonnie's driveway. "Not willing to share?"

"Not yet. But can you wait at my house for a few minutes while I get what I need?"

Alaric nodded, but couldn't help glancing at her as he drove.

When he arrived and parked, Elena asked "Can you go see if I'm there?" She removed the seatbelt, but stayed scrunched down.

Alaric was getting annoyed. "Excuse me?" Then he realized what it must mean.

"Is Katharine here?"

"I don't know, but if she is, I need to stay out here. Would you check for me please?"

"Elena, where's Stefan?"

"I don't know, but don't worry. She's not hurting anyone or anything. She's just pretending to be me for a couple of days. Could you please go check? And if she's not there, go in so I'll know it's safe for me to."

"Elena, if something's going on, you need to tell me."

"No one is in danger. I promise. Would you please go check for me?"

Alaric did so reluctantly. Elena poked her head up a couple times before she saw that he had gone inside.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she finally straightened up and left the car, stretching as she walked to the door. She had to wait long enough for it not to seem odd to Jenna that Alaric had not seen her as he came in.

She felt relief as she entered her home.

"Elena," Jenna said as she entered, "someone found your purse and brought it over."

"My purse?"

"Yes. You don't need to worry, though. Your wallet's there – that's how they knew where to bring it. Your cell phone's there too. I don't think anything was taken."

"Where did they find it?"

"They didn't say. Did you not know you'd lost it?"

"No. Thanks." She took the purse and went upstairs without speaking to Alaric.

She knew she worried too much sometimes. Everything was probably OK. Katherine had probably dropped her stuff while making out with Stefan or something.

She decided to call Stefan. It was a risk, if she was with him, he might figure it all out. But Katherine needed to know that she'd lost the phone and purse. Maybe she could disguise her voice to sound like a stranger. She called.

He didn't answer.

Should she call Damon?

* * *

Things Are Not as They Seem

The van with two vampires had just left the house - the human was dead, body dumped in the garage. Although it was several hours before sunset, Katherine decided to move. She now knew what was happening, and with only one vampire left, she could easily take him out. Hopefully the house would have a phone she could use.

She had just gotten out of the chair when a window crashed in. She froze, ready to move out of the light if it was too close. Then she saw Damon going straight for the startled vampire.

She watched as Damon pulled the other vampire into the sunlight flowing through the broken window. He was not protected and between the sun and Damon, was soon gone – in a rather noisy and messy fashion.

Damon rushed to Katherine.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Why did you come?"

Damon pointed at the mess on the floor. "Do you really need to ask?"

"No," she said. "I mean how did you know I needed help?"

"I told you where I'd be if there's something trying to hurt you. I'm just sorry I couldn't get to you sooner, but I could tell you were OK."

"You're not at full strength yet. One vampire would have been hard, but three…"

"Easy with the sun though." Damon interrupted. "Let's get you out of here before they come back."

"No! They took my necklace."

Damon was startled at her reaction. "The vervain? Elena, you don't need to worry about it. I won't do anything…"

"Damon, I can't go into the sunlight without the necklace."

"What? Why not?" Damon did not understand.

Katherine sighed. "Damon, think about it. I cannot go into the sun without the necklace. It's what protects me."

Damon wasn't that dense. He understood now. "Katherine."

She nodded.

"Where's Elena?"

"If she's being good, she's at Bonnie's house."

"What are the chances of that?" Damon said as he realized what Katherine had called the person she usually referred to as "the witch".

"If they see her, she is in danger. Is there a phone here?" she asked, moving across the room trying to avoid the light.

"Use this," Damon said, giving her his cell phone.

"We'll need a phone book unless you have the Bennett number in here."

Katherine sat on the couch as Damon retrieved the book. He came back with it open and gave her the number.

"Have you been pretending to be Elena?" Damon asked.

Katherine looked at him briefly before nodding slightly as she listened to the ringing.

"How long?"

"Long enough to know that 'things are not as they seem'."

Damon winced and shook his head.

"We'll work that out later." Katherine said. "Right now, we need to find her."

At that point, Damon's phone rang showing a call from Elena. Katherine answered.

"Elena. Are you OK?"

"Yeah, Sure." Elena said, recognizing Katherine's voice. "But why are you at Damon's phone. Did you know you dropped my purse?"

"There's been an incident. Where are you?"

"Home," Elena replied.

"Are you in your bedroom?"

"Yes."

"Do you see a small blue box on your desk that is not yours?"

Elena looked. It was there.

"Yes. What's going on?"

"I may need you to bring it to me. But for now, please stay there. Don't invite anyone in. There are a couple of rather hostile vampires out there that might cause you harm."

"They're after me?" Elena asked, starting to get worried.

"Not you directly, though you are actually part of their plan. Their true target is Damon."


	14. The Pain and the Promise

But Was it Funny?

Elena nervously descended the stairs and approached Alaric. "I need to return something. Would you give me a ride again?"

"Elena, don't you think you are taking too much advantage of him?"

"No, it's OK Jenna." Alaric interjected. "I don't mind. And I'm sure you'd like me to keep an eye on Elena."

Jenna gave him a bit of a nod and an "Mmm, ok."

'OK', Elena thought, '1st part done. Get him to come with me.' Aloud she said, "thank you."

"What's going on?" Alaric asked a soon as they we outside. "Did you talk to Stefan?"

"No. Katherine. It seems she got caught without her necklace – the one that protects her from sunlight. We're taking her another that she left on my desk."

"On your desk?"

"Yeah. She said she was going to ask me to keep it in a safe place…just in case."

They were driving by this time. "So she's stuck inside until dark. You know Elena, if there was ever a time to try to take her out, it would be now."

"And exactly how would you do that?" Elena asked, not sure if he was making a lame joke or was at least partially serious.

"We…you could lure her to the door and then we could pull her outside."

"You wouldn't get her to budge before your neck was broken. And I intend to honor my pledge to protect her. You'd have to go through me."

Alaric gave her a strange look. "I was kidding."

"Good." Elena said not sure if she completely believed him. "No bounty on your head tonight."

* * *

The Reason

"Why are they after me?" Damon asked Katherine as they waited for Elena to arrive.

"They're brothers. Apparently you did something to their family 75 or so years ago – in Boston. They want revenge. Didn't you hear this?"

Damon scowled. "You didn't have a brick wall between you and them. And I was concentrating on you or Elena or whoever."

"So you don't deny what they say you did to them."

"I did a lot of things. But 75 years ago? Why now?"

"They've been watching you. Although you are not as strong as Pearl was or as I am, you are stronger than they are – when you are at full strength. They know you've been severely weakened by a spell. They think they can take you now."

"But why Elena. What did she do?"

"They have visions of her being tortured while you lie there watching and slowly burning. Something about that's what you did to their family. They know she means something to you."

"Why would they think that?"

Katherine laughed to herself softly before answering. "Do you really have to ask? I've only been here a few weeks and I've seen how you two act around each other. Especially you around her. They've been watching you for some time."

Damon shook his head. Had what he done put Elena in danger?

"And they may have been misled by a couple of kisses."

Damon glared. "I've never kissed Elena."

"Are you sure about that?" Katherine was kind of smirking. It was hard to tell.

"You led me on. You wanted this, this whatever it is between us."

"I'm not going to deny that Damon. The question is what do you want?"

They were staring, or was it glaring, at each other when they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Katherine opened the door just enough to leave the sunlight out. Elena actually moved to stand between Katherine and Alaric while giving her the box.

"Just a joke" Alaric said under his breath – which drew a brief glance from Katherine.

She opened the box and pulled out a small bracelet which she placed on her right wrist. She then carefully stretched her left hand into the sunlight and left it there a few seconds.

"Not trusting the maker, or me?" Elena asked.

"I trust you both. Still, I always have a spare, just in case. And this is my spare. You can't be too careful."

* * *

The Plan

The group moved to the kitchen to plan their next move.

"So what do we have?" Katherine stated. "Stefan is AWOL. Where is he anyway?" She asked Damon.

"When Elena, or you or whoever brushed him off this morning, he got upset, so he went hunting. If he wants to be left alone while hunting, he turns his phone off."

Katherine shook her head. "No Stefan, but we have Damon who's at what? 50%?"

"Or more." Damon said, glaring.

"Or more, but most effective when in sunlight, for now. And we have Mr. Saltzman, who I understand has taken out a few vampires himself. He might be most effective in sunlight as well. And we have me. I am now back to full capability and really upset about how they treated me."

"And we have me." Elena added.

"And Elena. And we're up against two vampires – at least one of which can walk in daylight."

"Do you know where they are going?" Elena asked.

"I think so. It seems they're setting a trap for Damon. They hope to capture him and bring him here."

"Then it's a daylight attack," Damon said. We can find them and take them out before they know what's hit them. We should get moving."

"You mean find them and let me take them out. And I will – I will personally rip their heads off. But given the circumstances, Damon, I think we need to talk to them first."

"What circumstances?"

"One of them walks in daylight. I don't recognize him. Who else do you know that does that? And what if they are not alone or told someone else about your current weakness. We need to talk to them."

"I'm fairly sure they won't feel like talking once they know we have them."

"True. So they will think they have us – or rather you."

Damon didn't look thrilled. "You know they're stronger than me. You want me to turn myself in?"

"No. But we will set our own trap, which will be sprung when they spring theirs." Katherine found herself laughing at the sentence she had just created.

* * *

Again?

Katherine was alone with Elena. Damon was off to find, but hopefully not be seen by the vampires. Alaric was waiting in his car for Elena. He would drive her home and stay there, ensuring no one unknown would be invited in.

"You didn't quite do all I asked of you in the last couple of days, Elena, but you came through when I needed you. I am grateful."

"I'm glad I could help. And I'm sorry you were taken."

"I'm glad you weren't taken."

"What were they going to do with me?"

Katherine shook her head. "You don't need to know that. I do have one more request of you, though, and this matter should be concluded."

Elena looked at her, trying to read her expression. As usual, she couldn't. "What is it?"

"I need for you to pretend to be me. And I'm sorry, but you'll need to remove your necklace."

"My vervain? It's all I have."

"It wouldn't have protected you from their plan. It only makes it harder for them to control you. And I'm sorry to say this, but if there is a problem tonight, it won't be because they're trying to control you. Damon and I will protect you from them."

* * *

The Promise

Elena had left with Alaric. She would wait at home until they were ready to spring the vampires' trap.

Katherine went to the hospital to see Bonnie.

"Elena." Bonnie smiled as she saw her coming. "Is Stefan not with you?"

"Not tonight. How are you?"

"I'm feeling much better. Getting stronger."

"I'm glad," Katherine said as she moved to touch the bracelet Bonnie hated so much.

Bonnie watched, surprised, as Katherine lifted Bonnie's wrist with one hand and ran the fingers of her other hand over the surface of the bracelet. It came off, though Katherine continued to hold Bonnie's wrist and the bracelet.

"She let you take it off?" Bonnie asked, staring at Katherine.

Katherine nodded her head. "Can you feel your power returning?"

Bonnie closed her eyes and concentrated. She noticed that Elena had not released her wrist, but ignored it. She felt a tingling of power and began a soft chant.

Suddenly Bonnie sat up straight and tried to pull her wrist away. The bracelet was immediately back in place.

"Katherine!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Yes."

"Why are you here? Does Elena know?"

"I'm not here to hurt you Bonnie. I'm here to talk."

"About what? And since when do you use my name when talking to me or anyone?"

"Bonnie, I do not excuse what you did to Damon. I will never accept it, but I have your promise it will not be repeated. However, I also know that you have, somehow, become Elena's best friend. You have earned her respect. I have thought about it, and I have decided I can also afford to offer you some respect, in the form of using your proper name. I hope you will accept it as a sign of the respect I have for you – because of Elena."

Bonnie nodded slightly.

"Because I have your promise to leave Damon and Stefan alone, as well as Elena, I am prepared to remove the bracelet and return your power. But on one condition."

"Which is?" Bonnie asked suspiciously.

"That you use all of your power to protect Elena. I will ask nothing else of you, and I will leave the issue of whether you help Elena when she asks between you two. But I must insist that you protect her with all of your power against anyone or anything that threatens her."

Katherine paused, seeming to give Bonnie a moment to think about it. "Will you agree to this?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I need a yes or a no."

"Yes. I will protect Elena against any threat with all of my power."

Katherine nodded and removed the bracelet.

"And if I think you're a threat to Elena?" Bonnie asked.

Katherine started to leave the room. "Think what you will, but consider carefully before you act. You were present when Elena swore an oath to protect me."


	15. Deception and Revelation

Deception and Revelation

Elena waited nervously outside of Stefan and Damon's home. Katherine had been very clear – timing was essential. She and Damon had gone inside. Elena was to enter at precisely the right moment – at least in Katherine's mind.

Which, of course, Elena was relying on.

Stefan had not returned her calls. Alaric was still at her home, which made Elena feel a little better. Damon had found the vampires where Katherine had expected.

Katherine had coached Elena on the part she would play. Elena thought of the cold, distant demeanor of Isobel, and of Katherine herself until very recently, toward Elena. Could she duplicate it? Could she keep it going long enough?

"It's all about how you carry yourself," Katherine had told her.

"Confidence?" Elena asked her.

"Indifference."

"No coughing, scratching, sneezing or any such thing." Katherine added. "They'll know immediately. And virtually no silence. Do not let them hear that something is wrong."

She could have worried all night, but it was time. She entered through the front door. What she found was not unexpected, but it still upset her.

Katherine was being held by one vampire, standing still. Apparently the vampire had tried to compel her. He was watching the other vampire as Damon struggled with him – though she could swear he wasn't trying all that hard – maybe just keeping it up until Elena arrived.

It was time.

"Stop!" Elena said clearly and loudly.

Damon looked at her and stopped struggling. "Katherine."

That got the attention of both of the hostile vampires.

"What is this?" Elena asked coldly.

She must have been doing it about right. "Family matter." Katherine's vampire replied.

"Katherine, help us." Damon pleaded. "Help her."

"Shut up!" the vampire holding him said, giving him a shove.

"Help her? Help Elena Gilbert? Whose uncle killed my best friend?"

The vampires were looking back and forth at Elena and Katherine, seemingly trying to figure out why they looked the same.

Elena was slowly approaching. Katherine had told her what a safe distance would be. She gave them a little more room than that.

"Help her whose family has burned our kind for decades? No. I may share her, but I will not help her."

Then she looked straight into the eyes of Katherine's vampire. "Do I know you?"

The vampire glared at her, but continued to hold on to Katherine. "Does it matter?"

"You wear a ring I recognize. It keeps you safe in sunlight. Where did you get it?"

She must have been doing okay, she thought. He was still talking to her – glaring at her, but talking.

"It was given to me."

"Willingly? By whom? I do not pass them out lightly."

The vampire hesitated before answering. Elena was just wondering if the silence was lasting for too long when he replied "He was dead – not by my hand."

"Do you often steal from the corpses of my soldiers?" She wasn't sure it was the right term, but it felt OK.

"Steal?" the vampire asked. "You can't steal what is not owned. The dead own nothing."

"No one owns such a ring but me. It is mine then."

"Do you think you can take it?" He actually released Katherine, and turned quickly to face Elena. It was enough to make her flinch. Immediately he leapt at her.

Katherine was faster, though she had to push Elena of his way. Elena stumbled against a wall and had to brace herself before she was able to turn back to see the fight. Damon was on the defensive, but Katherine was nearly done. She had literally done it. His head was severed.

Elena was shocked. Since she had pledged her loyalty to Katherine, the threats against her family had stopped - the vampire had just asked her to help. She had almost forgotten what Katherine was, what she could – and would – do.

Katherine was instantly next to Damon, the hostile vampire's neck in her firm grasp. She held him above her with one hand.

"Who else knows?" Katherine asked him as he struggled against her.

He did not answer.

"Tell me. Who else?"

The human girl had seen enough. "Katherine, don't. He could help us."

Katherine looked at her – her face furious.

"He could warn others not to come here." Elena explained.

Katherine turned back to the vampire. "Would you do that?"

"Yes." The vampire managed to gasp.

Katherine released her grip slightly and repeated the question. "Who else knows?"

"No one. We wanted him for ourselves."

Katherine nodded and lowered the other vampire to where she could reach his head with her other hand. Again she carried out her threat to "rip their heads off".

Elena was distraught. "Katherine, he said he would spread the message to leave us alone."

As quickly as the fury had come, it was gone. "That's not the message he would have spread," Katherine said. "It would have been 'I went up against Katherine and lived'. He would have been back – probably with more vampires. Vampires do not give up revenge so easily."

Elena looked at the mess around her. "I hate this world of yours."

Katherine approached Elena slowly. "Elena, you may have been seduced into this world, but you stayed willingly. Now that you are pledged to me, it is just as much your world as mine."

"I don't know how I'll be able to do this." She sat down, burying her face into her hands.

Katherine touched Elena's shoulder gently, causing the girl to look up at her.

"You'll be able to do it because you know you can help your world more from inside mine, than from outside it."

Katherine found a blanket and wrapped it around Elena who looked at her questioningly.

"So I won't get blood on you as I carry you home." There was a lot of blood on Katherine's clothes. "You'll need to go in the front door and I'll need to get into some clean clothes."

"Damon will burn the bodies," she added looking at him "and then join us at Elena's for a bit?"

"Yes majesty," he said, bowing and making the appropriate hand gesture.

The girl worked to regain control of herself as Katherine carried her home.

"You did well." Katherine told her as she was placed at her front door. "We learned what we needed to because of you."

Elena nodded and entered her home. Alaric was still with Jenna.

"Elena," Jenna said. "How was Bonnie?"

"She's good. She'll be out soon." Elena was guessing, she had not seen her best friend for two days now.

"Are you alright?" Jenna seemed genuinely concerned. Elena had no idea what she looked like after everything that had happened.

"Long day. Just going to take a long shower followed by a long sleep. Goodnight."

When she made it into her room, the shower was on. But Katherine was looking in her closet.

"Can I borrow something? Or more precisely take and keep something? Anything will do."

"Sure" Elena said and picked out the needed items. Katherine took them into the bathroom.

Elena's phone rang - Stefan.

"Elena, what's going on?" he asked without giving her a chance to even say 'hello'. "I get home and Damon's cleaning up blood and burning bodies."

"What did he tell you?"

"Nothing. And now he's gone. He said he had something to do."

She was upset that he had been ignoring her calls. "You didn't want to know earlier. You ignored my calls. You wanted your space and you can have it - until tomorrow. Call me back then."

"Elena…"

She didn't give him the chance to continue. "No hello, no good-bye." She thought.

She instantly regretted it, but would clean that mess up tomorrow, along with any other that had been made during this Katherine-imposed idiocy.

Katherine emerged, wearing Elena's clothing, just as Damon arrived. The shower was still running in the bathroom.

"As you command" Damon said, smirking. Elena was glad to see it - none of this could have been easy for him.

Katherine spoke to Elena. "It appears that my arrangements for your protection have been inadequate."

"You've made arrangements for my protection?"

"No. And that has been inadequate. I can't let something like this happen again."

"No!" Elena objected. "I've got Stefan and Damon and Bonnie and Alaric Saltzman. Please do not send anyone else. I've seen your 'helpers'. I don't want them anywhere near here."

"Elena, sometimes we need to help each other."

"No, please. If someone else comes, we'll deal. We've been dealing. We'll take whatever comes."

Katherine stared at her for a moment. "Very well. We'll see how it goes. We'll see what comes."

Katherine picked up the bag in which the bloody clothes had been placed and headed for the window. She paused and turned to Damon.

"Damon, will you keep the promise you made to Elena? Will you help her?"

"You know I will," he replied.

"Good. Because helping her is helping me. Protecting her is protecting me."

Katherine looked squarely into his eyes. "But Damon, loving her is not loving me. You need to work that out."

Damon looked squarely back at her. "I do."

And she was gone.

"Damon!" Elena yelled at him. When he turned to face her she asked "Exactly what did you do when you thought she was me?"

**End of Part II - The Replacement. The Epilogue introduces Part III...**


	16. Epilogue Back Before Dinner

Epilogue to Part II – Back Before Dinner

"I'm not happy about it Elena!" Stefan said – again.

"Oh this time it worked. Now I understand. I didn't the first 34 times, but now I see. You badgering me is not helping, and it's not changing anything."

"You should never have made this deal with Katherine. It was not a good choice."

"Really? You know what I did and why I did it. And you know as well as I do that someone is alive because of my choice. I don't know who, and I don't have to. How's the life/death ratio with your choices?"

Stefan shook his head. "First you let Damon start hanging around, then Isobel shows up, now Katherine? You're getting into the wrong crowd."

"Yeah, my mother, my great something or other grandmother, and your brother. It's not changing Stefan. May even get worse. Maybe your dad'll show up next."

"I can't take you but Damon can? Why would she let him?"

"I don't know. There's something going on between those two, but I can't get Damon to tell me anything."

Stefan was getting frustrated. He knew this was lost – why not just stop?

"And is there still something going on between you and me?" he asked her.

His eyes had gone down again, so Elena pulled his chin up. "Yes. Still 'Team Stefan'" she said pointing at herself. "Though you're making it really hard."

"I'm just worried about you. Do you really trust Damon?"

"To keep me safe, yes. To keep me pure, no. But don't worry, 'mom' will be there. I'm sure she'll protect my reputation."

"That's not it and you know it. I just can't believe she lets Damon help, but not me."

"I've been around when you talked about her Stefan – it was not flattering. And what about when she was pretending to be me? Did you insult her then? Or were you too busy kissing her?"

"That's not fair. You know what she was doing. We need some kind of signal for the future."

Elena shook her head. "Really? You can't tell the sweet teenager from the 150-plus-year-old who's killed who knows how many people? You must be flattering me now."

Elena pulled Stefan's eyes toward her one more time before leaving. "Less than a day. Two hour drive to get there, a couple of hours there, two hours to get back. I'll be home by dinnertime."

He didn't seem moved. She gave him a kiss on the cheek anyway.

"You're all I want, Stefan, but not like this."

Elena left her home walking towards the car with the waiting Damon, off to serve Katherine one more time.


	17. The Drive

**Part III - Home By Suppertime**

The Drive

"Drama? With Stefan?" Damon asked as Elena sat next to him in the car.

She didn't look at him. "Yes."

"Tired of it?" he asked as he began the drive.

She glanced at him, but just nodded.

"You have a choice, you know. Probably a number of choices."

Elena kept looking straight ahead.

"You tell me it's an hour to pick up Isobel. You can talk to me if you want."

"I know." Elena said. She kept staring ahead.

"There's a lot to be said – by both of us," he prodded.

She did look at him now but not for long. She resumed staring ahead of her without speaking.

"OK, I'll start. I've done a lot to you Elena that I need to apologize for."

"You've apologized."

Damon ignored that. "When I came here, it was all about destroying whatever Stefan wanted, or Mystic Falls itself, or both. You were caught up in that and I did and said things to you I shouldn't have. I am sorry about that."

"Anything you ever said or did that was a problem, you made up for long ago. It's history and we're past that. Lately, all you've done is help me and trust me. Sometimes I have let you down, I have betrayed your trust. And it almost killed you."

"It didn't."

"No, but how can you keep trusting me?" She was looking at him now, leaving the road-watching to him.

"I don't have to – not right now. Now you are trusting me."

"Which makes it worse, Damon. I've let you down. Why do you still care? Why do you help me?"

"Because you need it. Because you asked me to, and you know how I feel about you."

Elena sighed. "I need your trust, you trust me. I need protection, you protect me. I need help, you help me. I've done nothing for you."

"Except save my life several times. Keeping score?"

"Losing track of the score. Which is good - I'm getting way behind."

Damon smirked a little. "Does Stefan know the score?"

Elena frowned at him. "Does Katherine?"

"How should I know? She only talks to you."

"Not about you." Elena hesitated, but decided to ask again. "What did you do when she was pretending to be me?"

"What did Stefan do?"

She grimaced. "He's not sharing. Which makes me think the worst."

"I wouldn't worry. Katherine never liked him that much."

"But you, Damon. What did you do with her that you thought you were doing with me?"

The vampire shook his head, "You've asked this before, Elena. Still not sharing."

"Damon," Elena said softly but earnestly. "You said you're giving me a choice. How can I choose when you don't talk to me. Play your cards. Let's see what you've got."

Damon sighed. "I'll show you my cards if you show me yours. Deal?"

"Yeah. Deal."

Damon took a minute to gather his thoughts before speaking. "Katherine stays away from me for more than 100 years. When she comes back, it's all about you. It's as if she's saying 'I don't want Damon unless he is interested in someone else'. She's all I ever wanted, until you showed up."

"And…"

"I never claimed to be good, Elena. You may think I have changed, but I'll still kill if I have to, steal if I want to, lie if it get's me what I want."

"You don't lie to me."

"No, not to you." the vampire agreed. "And you know just about everything I've ever done – I did it over and over."

"But it's done," Elena noted. "You can't change it. You can choose your future. And you still haven't answered my question."

The vampire surrendered. "I kissed her."

Elena paused, thinking. "Meaning you would have kissed me. That's not so bad – not that I'd let you get away with it."

"Meaning she did let me get away with it. This creature I've loved more than anything and hated more than anything wanted me to do it. And she got me to do that. And now I'm left with cryptic messages about deciding between you and her."

Elena nodded. "And have you? Decided, I mean?"

"Only one of you is here. Have you decided?"

The girl sighed. "I made my choice long ago. I decided to stay with this, with him, until I was sure what was there."

"That's history, Elena. The kind you said is behind us. I'm not the only one who can choose the future."

"Yeah. Some choices are hard. There she is." Elena pointed to Isobel who was waiting at the side of the road.

"Even hard choices have to be made," Damon said as he stopped.

"Hello Elena. Nice to see you again, Damon." Isobel said as she climbed into the seat behind Damon.

"I doubt that." Damon said.

"Is he back up to his full strength yet?" Isobel asked Elena. "I might be able to take him out if he's not behaving himself."

"Might be dangerous for you to try." Damon smirked.

Elean quickly became irritated. "Oh stop. My best friend and my grandma are already ready to kill each other. I don't need my mother and my boy…my non-boyfriend to go at it."

Isobel was actually smiling now.

"Lets just get to work." Elena said. "Katherine said a delivery."

"Did you see her again?" Damon asked as he resumed driving.

"No – phone call."

"Can you call her back?"

"It wouldn't be her phone." Isobel answered for her. "It could have been the phone of her breakfast, someone she compelled, or had a tryst with."

Damon actually scowled.

"Oh, hit a nerve did I?" Isobel asked.

"Don't please." Elena interrupted. "Just tell me what she meant by 'delivery'."

Isobel responded by giving Elena a small blue box. Elena looked inside.

"Is that the ring she took from the vampire she killed …. " And then she gasped.

"Is that his finger?"

"Yes and yes. Katherine never gives a gift without sending a warning. You didn't see her take them?"

Elena closed the box and shook her head. "I was too busy looking away to see exactly what she did. But shouldn't she be doing this herself?"

"I was told you are to assume the Katherine persona."

"Oh great. Is this going to be my only job from now on?"

"I'm sure she's just trying out new ways to use her resources."

Elena laughed to herself. "I'm a resource now."

"It's not a bad thing to be, Elena. If you're dealing with Katherine, it's probably the least you want to be. You know you'll have to remove your necklace."

"Yeah. I've got find a better place to keep my vervain."

"We'll be right there with you." Damon said. "And I am back up to full strength. Nothing will hurt you."

"Agreed," Isobel said. "We won't let anything near you. It would be true if we were with Katherine anyway."

"She's doing whoever this is a favor." Elena said, thinking out loud. "Surely he would be grateful, not attack."

Damon glanced into the mirror, meeting Isobel's eyes.

"Are you going to let her think that?" Damon finally asked the other vampire.

Isobel sighed and spoke. "Elena, dealing with Katherine has a price. You know that. She does not do favors, she creates obligations. There is virtually no one wearing a ring like that that would not kill her, if they could, just to get rid of whatever price they paid."

Elena had trouble believeng this. "You wear her necklace. Damon and Stefan wear her rings."

"OK, maybe there's three of us that wouldn't kill her if we could, and I'm not sure about Damon or Stefan."

The girl was getting a little worried now. "Do you think she would send me to someone who's dangerous?"

"I don't know what she would do." Isobel said. "Has she risked you before?"

"I don't think so. And she makes a big deal about keeping me safe."

"There is no one working for Katherine that is safe."

Elena shook her head. Both Damon and Isobel could tell that she was upset. She just stared at the box.

"It'll be OK Elena." Damon finally said.

"I can't believe I left it that way with Stefan. What if I don't make it back? Will that be his last memory of me?"

"Don't worry. You're going back." Isobel said. "Katherine has always come back. And I don't think she has had to spill much blood to do it."


	18. The Delivery

The Delivery

"I have no idea what to expect. Did Katherine tell you anything?" Elena asked Isobel.

"Not really, but I've been with her on a couple of these. Pretty simple. You say something about how this is in exchange for a promise. When you're ready, give the box to me. You don't need to go near him."

"How can I say something about the promise when I don't know what it is he has promised?"

"You don't have to be specific. Something like 'remember your promise' should do. There's not much more to it than that."

Elena's curiosity got the best of her. "How does she contact you? In person?"

Isobel shook her head. "Mostly by phone. If I see her, I know something is wrong – she's upset."

"Can you contact her?"

Isobel studied Elena for a second before responding "If she thinks there's a reason, she'll give you a way. I wouldn't rush that. She'll have enough of your time – no need to give her any more."

They were approaching the location – sort of a farm house. No other homes nearby. There were woods and fields and water. Elena removed her necklace.

"We'll be on both sides of you the entire time." Isobel said. "No need to worry."

Damon was silent during most of this. Elena had to wonder why. Was he just putting his bad face on?

"It's different from when I pretended to be her with her there. She was right there when I needed it."

"We will be as well." Isobel said as the car stopped a few yards from the door. "I will pull a shade when we enter so the sun can come in. They will be expecting it. We will stand in the light to show that what we have works. Then you can talk to him and, when you are ready, give me the box to give him. He will put the ring on and enter the same pool of light – slowly, to test the ring. Then remind him of his promise and we will go."

Elena nodded her head. "I understand." She put on her best Katherine face and said "I'm ready."

They exited the car and went to the door. It opened before they knocked.

The door opened fully, something that Elena did not expect, so she was able to stay next to Damon and Isobel as they entered. Not much sunlight entered the room. All of the windows had coverings or shades which were pulled closed. Isobel stopped a few feet into the room.

Elena raised her chin and let her eyes scan the room. Four – probably all vampires. She hoped Isobel and Damon were enough.

She recalled what Katherine had told her last time – silence was not good.

"Isobel" she said, motioning with her head towards a window which she knew would allow the sun in. And it was large. She would feel safer when standing in the light.

Isobel walked to the window slowly, deliberately. She was staring at the vampire Elena thought was the one in charge and probably the recipient of the ring. She stood by the window briefly and when the vampires did not move, pulled the shade, letting the light in.

It was all Elena could do to hold her position. She waited for Isobel to return to her side, then walked into the light at the same deliberate pace Isobel had used. She wanted to sigh when she entered the light, but knew she couldn't.

She stood looking at the main vampire for a few seconds. She decided to avoid his eyes so she looked at the box and held it up as she spoke.

"You know this comes with a promise. Do you swear to keep it?"

"I swear." He said.

She looked at Isobel. She cold tell she was ready for anything. "Isobel" she said as she handed the box over.

Isobel had taken a few steps towards the vampire when he spoke. "I've heard rumors."

Elena said "Wait!". Isobel was still in the light. A head motion from Elena and she was back standing next to her.

"Rumors." Elena said to fill the silence.

"Rumors that Katherine has a double. A human who looks like her. How do I know you are Katherine?"

Elena knew the jig was up. What was Katherine thinking sending her here like this?

"Are you willing to take the risk?"

"Maybe." The vampire said

"Do you think it matters? If you are wrong, you will burn either way. I've changed my mind." Elena said as she took the box from Isobel. "You're not ready."

"And you're not Katherine" the vampire said as he ran past the light to block the door. Another vampire leapt at them. Suicidal or protected? Or maybe he thought he would just knock them out of the light and go through it without much damage.

Elena was instantly being carried in Damon's arms toward the window. He tried to turn around in the air and hit it with his back. He didn't quite make it, though he did get most of the impact. Elena felt some contact as the glass broke around her. Damon landed on his feet with Isobel right behind them. They moved away from the house into bright sunlight and examined Elena. Her eyes were closed, she was bleeding in several places on her arm and head.

Damon moved his head to where he could listen to her breathe. "She's breathing. We need to get out of here."

"Yeah" Isobel agreed as they turned toward their car. They turned just in time to see something roll underneath it. An explosion followed. It didn't look totaled, but they knew they would not be driving it out of there.

"We have hours before sunset." Isobel said. "They can't follow us until then."

Damon nodded, then looked at Elena again. "Do you have the ring?"

"No. Elena took it back. Doesn't she have it?"

They both looked. She didn't have it.

"OK, one of them can follow us." Damon said. "You need to take her and get as far away as possible. I'll stay here in case he comes out."

"No," Isobel argued. "You need to take her and go. I'll stay."

"Please, you. She'll be safer with you."

"Damon, you're not at full strength are you?"

He hesitated.

"This is Elena we're talking about." Isobel said. "Are you up to fighting him if he comes out?"

"No." Damon finally admitted.

"Then take her as far away as fast as you can. Find someplace safe when you need to stop. I'll try to get in touch with Katherine."

"And call Stefan."

"I'm not sure Katherine wants that." Isobel said.

"I don't care. He should be able to come immediately. It's about time he started helping. With any luck, you can burn this place to the ground before sundown."

"OK, OK. Just get going. Do you have a cell?"

"Yeah." Damon said as he ran away from the house.

Isobel dialed the number which had called her earlier. It went to voicemail – not a surprise.

"This is Isobel. It went down bad. Elena is hurt and Damon is carrying her to safety. We need help immediately."

She tried the previous three numbers that Katherine had called from and repeated the message to the two that still worked.

Then she called Stefan.


	19. The Escape and the Kink

The Call

"What happened Isobel?" Stefan was pretty much yelling into the phone.

"You don't need to know that. You just need to come here right now."

"If you or Katherine put her in danger…"

Isobel cut him off. "You put her in danger every day. How often has she been caught between you and someone or something who is trying to get to you? Now get down here and help us keep her safe."

Isobel hung up. She looked over the house. At least a front and back door. She looked for a vantage point where she could see both and she found it. She went to a nearby hill, sat down and stared at the house wondering how she could bring it down by sunset.

* * *

The Cards

Damon had been running inside a shallow stream trying to minimize the trail he was leaving behind. He knew it might not work for long, or at all, but it was something he could do.

Elena was still not moving, but she was still breathing. He moved to the bank of the stream and carefully laid her down. The cuts were still bleeding a little, but did not look serious.

He ignored the draw of the blood and removed his shirt, tearing it into several strips. He wet one strip and cleaned up as much of the blood as he could before tying two dry strips around her arm to cover the cuts there. Her head was still bleeding as well. He was dabbing the wound with the wet strip when Elena opened her eyes.

"Damon?" was all she could muster at first. Then feeling a throbbing in her head, she moved her palm up to rub it and felt the blood.

"What happened?" she asked as he pulled her hand away and continue dabbing at the wound.

"What do you remember?" Damon asked, deciding it was a clean as it was to get. He took the remaining strips, made a pad out of one, placed it over the wound and tied it in place with the other.

"Standing in the light, something about rumors, vampire jumping at us," Elena said.

"That's about right. Can you sit up?" he asked, offering his hand.

"Don't know," she said, trying to push herself up with her hands, ignoring his. After a second she shook her head.

"Let me help," he said, his had still extended.

She accepted and he pulled her into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry about the blood," Elena said. "Was it hard for you?"

Damon nodded.

"Where did I get these cuts?"

"You….we went through a window to escape."

She nodded. "Isobel?"

"She followed us through the window."

"But now – where is she now?"

"She's back at the house."

Elena was stunned. "No! Why?"

"She's in the sunlight. She wants to make sure no one follows us."

"How could they, we didn't give them the ring."

"We lost the ring. We think it was dropped inside."

Elena shook her head. "You mean you think I dropped it inside. How could I have been so stupid."

"Elena, it wasn't your fault. I had to get you out of there immediately, and it was a messy exit. Live first, clean up the mess later."

"What will Katherine do when she knows I've lost her ring?"

"Let's just live long enough to find out. Can you stand?"

Elena held out her hand. Damon took it and slowly pulled her up. She hung on him for a minute but then regained enough strength to stand up on her own.

"I think so, she said," she said. "Getting stronger."

"Good. We need to go."

Elena held her hand up. "Just give me a minute." Then she realized what had happened.

"Damon, you saved me. Thank you."

"Just trying to even the score."

Elena shook her head. "No, it's not that simple. Thank you for being there when I needed you."

Damond wanted to get moving again. "You're welcome. Let's get going."

"Not yet. I owe you an explanation. You told me how you feel, it's my turn."

"Now? Elena, this is not the time."

"Yes it is," she said. "Just give me a couple of minutes, I need to say some things I don't know if I'll be able to say later. OK?"

She looked at him earnestly. After a brief hesitation, he nodded.

She exhaled. "This is hard. I know you have feelings for me. You've told me so. And if I haven't told you before now, I have feelings for you. I have for some time. And I want to explore what we have, what we could have. I just can't do it right now. There's still too much to figure out with Stefan. There too much else going on right now like with Katherine."

She paused briefly to try to read his expression. She couldn't, so she forged on. "I know I have no right to ask this of you, that it is more that could be expected from anyone. But please, I need to know that you will continue to help me. I need to know that I can count on you when I need to. I need to know that your feelings for me will not change while I work this out. Damon, I need some time and I need to know that that will not affect us."

Damon suddenly felt a rush of adrenalin – or maybe it was anger. He picked her up and prepared to run, but before doing it, he spoke.

"Elena, you can count on my help. That won't change. But my feelings for you? How can they not change? They will change because of what you do."

Then Damon started running.

Elena felt some relief at finally having just told him. But now she had one more worry – would she be able to choose before it was too late?

She put her arm around his neck, leaned her head against his shoulder, and let him carry her farther away from the farmhouse.

* * *

The Cavalry

Stefan arrived slightly more than an hour after the phone call. Isobel was impressed. Damon said it had taken nearly two hours for his car to make the trip, but he was in no hurry.

"Where is she?" Stefan asked immediately.

"I don't know. I just know that she is with Damon."

"How could you not know?"

"Stefan! We need to make sure no one is following them."

"From here?" Stefan asked as he glanced around the house, noting the damaged car and the broken glass.

"Yes."

"Have you seen anyone come out?"

"No, but we think one of them might have a ring for protection from the sun. I've been watching and I've seen no one come out."

"And does this house have an escape tunnel?"

Isobel did not understand. "A what?"

"A lot of old houses like this had an escape tunnel. They could have been used for a number of things when built, but vampires used them to come and go unseen by anyone around. I've lived in a few houses with them over the years. The tunnel would be from somewhere in the house to, say, someplace like those trees." Stefan pointed at the trees.

"I didn't know."

"Damon didn't mention this to you?"

"No, but he was busy trying to keep Elena alive. We both were. Would you go see if you can find one in those trees?

He left. He quickly called for Isobel to go to him.

"Here it is, and someone has left it recently. "

"I see," Isobel said.

"I'll go after them."

"No!" Isobel said quickly. "I'll go after them."

"But if they're after Elena…"

"Stefan," Isobel argued, "You're not strong enough. Your diet – without human blood you wouldn't be able to protect her as well as me. You wouldn't be as fast as me. I'll find them. You stay here and find a way to burn this place to the ground."

"Burn? But what if people live here?"

"The only ones in that house are vampires that want to eat Elena. Find a way to get rid of them by sunset. And if Katherine comes, have her call me. I can use the GPS in my phone to let her know where I am."

Without further comment, Isobel began to follow the trail of the vampire who had left the house.

"Katherine?" Stefan was left wondering as he turned back to the farmhouse.


	20. Seeking and Finding

Finding Elena

Bonnie was relaxing at home when she heard the knock on the door. She saw Elena on her doorstep and opened it immediately.

"Elena. Come on…" She was cut off by Katherine.

"I'm Katherine, Bonnie. And I need your help."

Bonnie took a step back in shock at what she had almost done. Then she realized who had stopped her.

"Why did you not let me finish?

"I told you I would only ask you to protect Elena. I will not attempt to enter your home unless provoked. But I need you to help me find Elena as soon as possible. She is in danger."

"You know she is in danger but don't know where she is?"

"I know the general direction, Bonnie. We need to leave immediately. Can you search for her while riding in our car?"

Bonnie nodded. "It would help if I had something of hers."

Katherine held up a shirt she had borrowed from Elena. Bonnie took it and went inside to get a few items which she brought out with the shirt. She followed Katherine to her car. There was a large man – probably a vampire – in the driver's seat.

Katherine sat in the front passenger seat. "I'll let you have the back. Is there enough room?"

"Yes." Bonnie said as she entered the car. "You know Elena will not like it if I am attacked."

"Yes I do," Katherine as the car started moving. "Anymore than I will like it if Elena is hurt because of any delay caused by you."

Bonnie looked into her cold eyes and nodded. She started her chants, thinking the car was traveling much too fast.

* * *

But Will he Do It?

Stefan was alert. He briefly considered entering the tunnel and going to the house to verify what he had been told by Isobel. He quickly discarded that idea. If he were to enter the house, it would be with as much sunlight as possible. Instead he blocked the tunnel with everything he could find. It was probably futile, but it would delay anyone else leaving that way. And it would tip him off because of the large amount of noise someone would have to make to leave the tunnel.

But burn the house down? What if there were people who lived there?

He sat where he had first seen Isobel. It was a good vantage point. Scanning the rest of the area, he saw a couple of small, detached buildings – one looked like a garage and one a storage shed. If he was really going to do it, he could probably find something flammable in one of those. And there was the damaged car.

But before he would consider this, he had to be sure. He went next to the house, and walked around the house slowly, concentrating on any sound he heard from the inside.

What little he did hear convinced him that Isobel was right. There would be a lot more noise coming from humans.

He was now officially on board. He began to look for flammable material to put around the house.

* * *

Quiet Time

Damon had stopped again. He hadn't spoken to Elena in what seemed like forever, and she was not sure what to do. She knew she would not be able to stand it if this was the way it would be between them.

She was standing next to a tree, but not leaning against it. She was getting stronger. She had only tried standing, not walking. So she tried that for a little bit. It was not terrible.

Damon was back-tracking a little. He did this from time to time. When he was speaking to her, he had told Elena that he was trying to obscure the trail he was leaving behind – even though it wouldn't work very well. It was difficult, very difficult to hide one vampire's trail from another. But he would do what he could.

Mostly they were just moving away from the farmhouse – in one direction or another. Elena had no idea where it was in relation to them. She did not know how far or what direction.

She did know that Damon was doing everything in his power to get her away from the danger. He was doing everything he could to protect her. She had only told him the truth. It was what he had demanded, and what he deserved. But seeing his reaction, and feeling what she was about his reaction, she was wondering if what she had said really was the truth. She was starting to doubt herself. Had she been telling herself she needed to figure out things with Stefan just to convince herself? What had she not figured out by now?

All Damon had ever done lately was help her. He never questioned her actions or her motives. He never mentioned disapproval of her pledge to Katherine as Stefan had, he just helped her when asked. She had ignored Damon's calls before. Stefan had ignored her calls at times. But Damon always took her call.

She had come to completely trust him. She recalled that when she had faced him in the past, he always had perfect control around her. When she was bleeding and hitting him, he stood there and took it. Then he convinced her to leave because it was too dangerous for her to be near him under the circumstances. Stefan drank some of her blood and totally lost control of himself.

Maybe she had spoken too quickly. Maybe…

He was back and she was in his arms again, moving.

"Damon, please talk to me."

He didn't. He just kept running.

* * *

The Trail

Isobel was hopeful. She was able to follow the vampire's trail without difficulty, which meant she could use all the speed she had.

And she wasn't seeing much of Damon's trail. This was good. She knew that the hostile vampire would not be covering it up. Damon was hiding it and doing it effectively. The other vampire would have to look for and find it. It would slow him down, giving her time to catch up.

She only wished she know how much of a head start he had.

* * *

The Finding

"Got her." Bonnie said. "Go South."

The driver made a completely unsafe u-turn, even leaving the road briefly, to return to where he could go south.

"How far?" Katherine asked.

"I can't be sure – not too close. A few miles, maybe. But we're going fast enough to cover them quickly."

"Can you tell how long before we have to leave the road?"

"No. I don't know where the roads are. I can only see as the crow flies."

"OK," Katherine said. "get us a close as you can. When it seems we are going away from her, we'll go on foot. Please follow us and keep her in your sights. If she moves, you need to let me know. We're faster than you and may be very far from where you are, but I'll be able to hear you."

Bonnie nodded and returned to her spells.

* * *

The Decision

Damon put Elena down again. She thought he was going to back-track again. She grabbed his arm as he turned from her.

"No, Damon. Not until you say something to me. Anything."

"He's getting close." Damon said, but he did not try to get out of her grasp.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I'm sorry if I said something that hurt you. That is something I never, ever want to do. Please, just tell me what you want from me. Anything."

Damon shook his head. This was not the time or place. Only Elena would think it more important to talk than to get away from a vampire trying to kill her.

It seemed the only way out was to give her what she wanted.

"I want a chance with you. A real chance where you are talking to me, thinking about me. Not thinking about Stefan or anyone else. Not spending your time with him or worrying what he will think of you if you do this or that. I want a chance where you only consider me. An up or down vote on just me."

"OK. I understand. How can I show you that it is happening?"

"I don't know. Figure out a way."

Elena looked at him and decided. She put her hands around his neck, pulled his head down and kissed him. He was not resisting.

But suddenly she was pushed aside – roughly.

'What have I done?' She thought to herself as she tried to recover from her stumble. She turned to look at his expression, but he was not there. She heard a collision and followed the noise.

They had been found. Damon and the other vampire had collided to start the battle.


	21. The Parties and the Deciders

The First Rescue Party

Katherine and the other vampire were running – they were well out of Bonnie's sight. She was going to ask Katherine to have one of them carry her – she thought she might be of some use, if she could get close enough.

She ended up not asking – Elena needed someone with her as soon as possible. And it was a long shot anyway. So she followed them as fast as she could while trying to keep her sense of where Elena was.

She was also thinking that maybe she could try something from where she was. She could use her power very effectively at close range against specific vampires. Could she figure out a way to do it from a distance?

* * *

The Demolition Party

Stefan had done it. The house was burning. He found it a little shocking – what he had become. Not that he had never done this kind of thing before. He had, but certainly not since he had found Elena. Would she approve?

He got rid of that thought immediately, replacing it with what Isobel had told him. The house only held vampires trying to hurt Elena.

Stefan thought the fire would not spread – he had been careful. His car was moved to a safe location, he had even soaked a couple places with water that looked risky before starting the fire. And it seemed to be behaving.

He would notify authorities before leaving, but first he had to decide what to do about the tunnel. It was blocked but not well. He did not know if it would burn – probably not. He had found explosives in the shed, so he was going to try to use them take the tunnel out or at least permanently seal it up. The explosives were in place. He had already done so much damage, this should be easy for him to do. For some reason, it wasn't. He knew what Isobel had said, but he could never be sure. Could he remove the vampires' last escape?

* * *

The Second Rescue Party

Elena had to do something. Damon was barely holding the other vampire off – if he was doing that much. From time to time, Damon seemed to have been beat, and the other vampire would turn towards her. But he never got very close to her before Damon was back.

She didn't know if he could keep it up. She needed a way to help. She looked for something she could at least make a stake out of, but everything she saw looked either so small that she thought it would cause no damage, or so large that she would never be able to break it to try to create a point.

She finally decided on a smaller large branch. She found a place where she could lean it at a 45 degree angle and jumped on it with her full body weight. It broke. The result wasn't pretty, but it was something she could hold, and if she should get it in the right place with enough force, she thought she could do some damage.

She turned back to the noises of the fight. She thought about trying to go behind the other vampire, but if he saw her and attacked, would Damon be able to recover in time to help her? Could she put him in that position?

She decided instead to try to get behind Damon. Maybe she could pass him her stake or find another way to help.

But as she turned to him, she could see it was getting worse. He was taking a beating. Not that he was down and out or anything, he was still up fighting. But he was slow, and did not look good.

That made the decision for her. She tried to find a way to get behind the other vampire without being seen. And she did, at least she hoped she did. He could have just been ignoring her.

She raised her stake and began to charge forward. Suddenly she was pushed aside and the stake was out of her hand. Maybe he was on to her after all.

Then she saw Isobel shoving the stake into the vampire's back. It had the desired effect. He struggled against the stake and her, but eventually fell to the ground.

Elena was quickly at Damon's side. He was standing and apparently resting. There were blood and bruises, but she thought he had never looked so good. She was deciding whether to try to comfort him with her touch when he darted another direction. She turned and saw he was headed for another vampire.

Isobel was faster. She managed to catch and hold him. "He's one of Katherine's Damon. Settle down. You need to rest."

Katherine did appear next to the other vampire. Only then did Damon relax. Without speaking to any of them, he walked to some nearby running water and started to clean the blood and other mess off of himself.

Katherine walked towards Isobel, who had moved back to watch the staked vampire. Katherine found his finger and pulled the ring off, inserting it into one of her pockets. Since they were in direct sunlight, the vampire was soon gone.

"Give me a minute with Elena," Katherine said to Isobel who nodded in response and turned to watch them.

Elena had not moved, she may not even have seen Katherine remove the ring. She was just staring at Damon.

Katherine stood next to her and looked at Damon as well. "He'll be fine," Katherine said, "it looks like you managed to get into his shirt, though."

That made Elena smile. She had completely forgotten that the bandages she was wearing were his shirt. She turned to look at Katherine. It still creeped her out with the mirror image. She thought she might get used to it, but not yet. How did twins deal?

"Sorry about all of this," Elena said. She wasn't sure why, maybe just being polite.

"You know it was my mistake," Katherine said. "You are still new to me. I need to think about precautions with you more than I do with anybody else I work with. I overestimated his loyalty and underestimated the protection I needed to provide to you. You look like you feel good. Do you?"

"I do. A little sore where the bandage is on my head is all."

Katherine nodded. "I hope I haven't lost your trust in me. Your safety has always been my greatest concern. I will not let you down again."

"You didn't let me down. I was in good hands. It all worked out." Elena said.

"Do you know why they attacked you?"

"He said something about hearing rumors that you had a human double. I guess he suspected me from the beginning."

"Rumors." Katherine said as she turned back to look at Damon. Then she smirked. "Now that he's cleaned up, I'm kind of glad you took his shirt."

She turned back to Elena just in time to see a bit of a shocked face. "You've done as I asked. Anyone who threatened you will be destroyed."

"Already done," came a voice from behind them. Bonnie was there. "Stefan called, he said he burned the house down with the vampires in it. He's on his way here now."

"You look cheery," Elena said.

Bonnie hugged her. "I am so glad to see you're OK. And anytime vampires kill each other is fine with me."

Elena pulled away from her and nodded her head towards Katherine then made a "shush" sign with her finger.

"No, it's fine." Katherine said. "Bonnie is just relieved that you are safe. We all are."

Damon was approaching now. The blood was gone, but there were still bruises and other marks.

Katherine nodded for Isobel to join them. She spoke to her and Damon "You've done all I could ask. You kept Elena safe. I am grateful,"

"And I am furious," Damon said. "She should never have been there. You can't risk her like that. She pledged to serve and protect you, not to be sacrificed by you."

"Damon," Elena began before being cut off by Katherine.

"No, Elena, he's right. I've told you and now I will tell Damon. It was my mistake. It will not happen again."

Stefan was approaching now. "Did I miss anything?" he asked as walked to Elena and hugged her. She returned his hug only slightly.

"Time to return." Katherine said. "Elena, do you want to go back with Stefan, or...?"

Stefan gave Katherine and then Elena a quizzical look. "Don't you?"

Elena nodded. "Yes, but go ahead a little. I need to ask Katherine something in private."

He gave her an annoyed look, but finally turned and started to walk away.

Elena did not speak to Katherine, she just looked at Damon with pleading eyes. She whispered, afraid Stefan might hear. "I have to, at least this time. Please."

Bonnie was staring, as were the others, no clue as to what was happening.

Damon spoke softly in response. "You know what I need, Elena. You'll either give it to me, or not."

"I will, Damon. You have all the time there is. Please just give me a little."

Damon nodded. "I do have all the time there is. I just don't know how much time you have."

Katherine spoke now. "Would you like to go back with Elena and Stefan, Bonnie?"

"Yeah," Bonnie said pulling Elena away from Damon's eyes and starting to follow Stefan.

"And you could come back with me…if you want." Katherine said to Damon.

Elena heard. It was the last few words that caught her attention. She had never heard Katherine use that tone with anyone. She turned around to try to see his response, but Katherine was talking to Isobel. She had missed Damon's nod of agreement.

Bonnie pulled her towards the waiting Stefan again. Stefan misread her expression, and tried to comfort her. "It's over Elena, and it's still early. We'll be home by suppertime."

* * *

The Deciders

Katherine had sent Isobel and the other vampire back with her car, telling them she would meet them in Mystic Falls. She and Damon watched as Elena left with Stefan and Bonnie. Elena occasionally looked back at them.

"You're going to get her to choose you," Katherine said. "And then the old Damon would break her heart - before ripping it out."

Damon looked at Katherine now. "And you're going to get me to choose you. And will you then break my heart? Is that who you are now? You knew where I was for 145 years and you avoided me."

"No, Damon, I was not avoiding you – at least not for all of it. For some of it I was deciding."

"Deciding what?"

"Deciding about you."

Damon wasn't sure he believed her. "You were deciding about me without me there?"

"Sometimes the person you are thinking about is too distracting for you to make a good decision. Sometimes you need to be alone to decide."

"And what was your decision?" Damon asked, though he thought he knew.

"I'm here. My decision is made. You need to make yours."

"Yeah. Though I'm told I have all the time there is." Damon hesitated, then stated the obvious. "You gave your car to Isobel. The one you gave me to use was burned. We don't have a car do we?"

"We can get one if you want, Damon. It depends on if you want us to get back to Mystic Falls quickly, or if you are willing for us to take our time."

**End of Part III, Home by Suppertime. The Epilogue introduces Part IV...**


	22. Epilogue, Waiting Too Long

Epilogue to Part III – Waiting Too Long

Elena was upset – and she had no one to talk to. She hadn't said anything that should have upset him, but Stefan had reverted to brooding insecurity. Had Bonnie said something to him? Surely she wouldn't.

She heard a knock on the front door and she was up from her bed - headed downstairs - in an instant. But would Katherine or Damon knock?

Jenna had just opened the door.

"May I see Elena?"

"Of course. Come on …" Jenna started.

"No!" Elena yelled as she reached the door. "Jenna, we'll just talk on the porch."

"Don't be ridiculous." Jenna said. She began again "Come …"

"On the porch!" Elena said forcefully.

"It's OK. The porch is fine," the visitor said.

"All right, can I get you anything … ?" Jenna asked, obviously waiting for the blank to be filled in.

"Isobel. And no thank you. I'm fine."

"Well OK, let me know if you change your mind," the aunt said as she closed the door.

Isobel nodded to Jenna as the door was closing and Elena was sitting down.

"Really, Elena. Your life has been in my hands more than once. Have I ever let you down?" Isobel asked.

"No. I have come to trust you with my life. But you did say you would kill Jeremy, and I believe you."

Isobel was wearing a fairly distant face – not pure ice, but nowhere near warm. "Well, I don't know you as well as Katherine. Perhaps she is right. Perhaps you are much smarter than her average assistant."

Elena looked at her mother, her desperation visible. "You haven't seen her or heard from her or Damon?"

Isobel shook her head.

"It's been 30 hours. They could have easily made it back, even if it was on foot."

The vampire nodded. "You could have made it back by now, even on foot - if that was your intention."

"What have I done?" Elena muttered under her breath.

"What happened with you and Damon. What's going on?"

Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. "Apparently nothing."

"There's something going on between Katherine and Damon. Did you see how they acted before we were invited to leave?"

"Yeah, I saw," the daughter replied.

"And now you have the Salvatore you want – or at least say you want." Isobel's expression had softened ever so slightly.

"I just wish they would come back. I'm worried about them." Elena was looking down now.

"No need." Katherine said as she stepped onto the porch. "We're fine." Damon was with her. Elena noted, to her horror, that they were walking hand in hand.

Katherine spoke to Isobel as Elena tried to control her expression. "I thought I might find you here, Isobel. Do you have my car? Need a ride?"

"Yes and please." Isobel said, starting to leave with Katherine.

"Wait," Elena said to Katherine as she was turning around a little relieved that she had dropped Damon's hand – it seemed he was remaining. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Katherine said, turning back. "What do you need?"

"I need a way to be able to contact you. I've been thinking, and I know it could be abused, but I promise I won't. I would only use it for emergencies."

"You're smart, Elena. Innovative, self-reliant. It almost feels like you don't trust me now, and I can see why. Very well. I will provide you with a phone, and I will expect it to be used as you state. I expect it to be used to call for help when you are in danger."

"It will. I promise." Elena said.

"And I will also ask a favor of you, Elena."

Of course she would. The human sighed. "Ask away."

"I must insist you accept some additional protection."

Elena's expression was desperate again. "I told you what you did for me was fine. Here I am, so it must have worked out."

"Here you are because I happened to send the only two with you who would go to such extraordinary lengths to save you. I will not always have that option." Katherine shook her head. "Next time you'll be lucky if you're not surrounded by a legion of vampires. But it is not just when you work for me - you are in danger here as well."

"I told you Damon, Stefan, Bonnie and Mr. Saltzman are enough."

"You did. But you must give a little on this. Protection will be near, but unseen. Nothing dangerous will ever approach you again."

"They'll need to feed. Please Katherine, reconsider."

"There will be rules, Elena."

"Vampire rules," Elena argued.

"Yes, Elena. Vampire rules. The rules you play by now. I must insist on this. You will get your phone and your unseen protection. Your life needn't change."

Elena looked defeated. After all she had lost the last couple of days, now this.

Katherine softened slightly and added, "We'll do it for a week or two and then reconsider. If it interferes with you, we might change things up a bit."

"OK."

Katherine left with a "Later Damon." Elena realized he had not moved or spoken.

She looked at him. "Are you talking to me?"

Damon nodded. "If you're talking to me. But tomorrow. I have a lot to process right now."

Elena nodded and watched Damon leave, wondering if she had waited too long to choose.


	23. Asking for Space

**Part IV - Choices and Consequences**

Elena

Elena woke up in the middle of the night. Her window was closed, there was no storm. It was 3 AM, so she couldn't help wondering if it were the "tomorrow" when Damon said he would talk to her.

"Damon," she said softly. It was as loud as she had used before, when he was nearby and thought she needed his protection. He came with one call then, but he did not come tonight.

"Katherine?" she said in the same tone. Katherine's visits had never been welcome, but would be tonight.

There was no response.

"Stefan," she said very softly. This one wasn't a summons or a question. Just an expression of regret.

She turned over and closed her eyes, trying to sleep, never having felt so alone.

* * *

Stefan

Damon was home, sitting in front of the fireplace, thinking. He had spent a long time with Katherine, and he had a lot to think about.

Stefan entered – returning from hunting.

"You're back. Elena and Bonnie said you were with Katherine. Is that true?" Stefan demanded without any other greeting.

"Yes." Damon just stared at the fireplace.

"What does she want, Damon? Did she tell you?"

"She told me. I don't know if it's what she really wants."

Stefan stared at him. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well what did she say?"

Damon did look at him now – his face hard. "What she said to me is between her and me."

The harshness surprised Stefan. "I mean, did she say what she wanted with Elena?"

"Still between her and me."

Stefan tried a different tactic. "Damon, something's wrong. Elena won't tell me what it is, but I can't help thinking you're behind it."

Damon looked back at the fireplace. "Been thinking a lot about me lately? I wasn't here. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's between you and Elena."

"You were with her before you took off with Katherine. What happened?"

"That is between Elena and me."

Stefan was angry. He moved to try to grab Damon. Damon just flung him aside.

Stefan landed on his feet. "Tell me. If you've been manipulating her, turning her against me…"

"I live in your head, don't I? You think about me, Katherine, everyone but Elena. Try concentrating on her for awhile."

"I have a right to know, Damon. If you or Katherine has put her in danger, if something you did threatened her, I'll…" Stefan did not finish that sentence.

Damon glared at him. "What? You'll do what you did when you threatened her? You'll beg forgiveness and blame everyone but yourself?"

Damon was up now, staring at him. "Do you even know who she is? She can't be intimidated. I've tried. She can't be controlled. You've tried. It doesn't matter what you want or think. She will do what she thinks she should. She'll walk into a house – or a tomb - full of vampires, her only thought being about what she came to do, who she came to help. Do you understand that about her? She's not afraid of being threatened."

"I'm just worried about her." Stefan said. "I don't know what she is thinking."

"Let me give you some advice on that, Brother. With Elena or Katherine or any woman worth chasing, you do not get to understand her by talking to anyone else. If they find out you've been asking others about them, talking about them behind their backs, you're dead. If you want to give Elena a thrill, talk to her yourself. You want to know what she is thinking, how she feels? Ask her. Think about her for a change."

It stung. Stefan went to his room. He had been trying to talk to her, hadn't he?

Damon returned to staring at the fireplace, thinking.

* * *

Both of Them

Elena was not avoiding them, really she wasn't. She did want to see Damon, to talk to him. She had left things with him in a manner she could not tolerate. Not that she had done any better with Stefan. She knew he was trying in his way. And she would have made concessions or allowances before. But things were changing.

She hadn't seen either all day, not until just after supper. She had found Katherine's phone on her bed when she returned her room to clean up for the meal. It was ordinary-looking. Nothing special. Of course it wasn't hers – the difference was obvious. She would need to come up with a system for her two phones now – she was going to keep both on her always.

Stefan came as she finished helping Jenna with the dishes. She was actually glad to see him. She had sometimes thought before that she wanted a normal life – a life without vampires. But she was lonely today.

"Hey," Elena said, greeting him at the door.

"Can we talk?" Stefan asked.

"Of course. We probably need to after the time we've had the last few days."

"Upstairs, or at my place?"

"Let's do the porch," the girl replied. Upstairs would send the wrong message, the wrong current message, anyway. His place might have Damon, and she was going to tread carefully with him. He would find her when he was ready.

"I know I haven't been at my best the last few days," Stefan began as they sat next to each other. "I need to apologize for that."

"Yeah." Elena said. "I've noticed."

"I've just been worried about you. Believe it or not, Damon helped me see I was treating you badly."

"He did, did he?"

"Yes. I worry about him and Katherine and what they're doing to you. He told me I was thinking of everyone but you. He's wrong. It's all about you."

"Then why did you bring him up, Stefan?"

"Because I'm worried about you, how he's affecting you. What he's doing to you."

"What he's doing to me?" Elena's voice was rising. "Do you know what happened at that house you burned down? He stood by me. He faced the ugliest vampires I have ever seen with me. And when it went bad, he got me out of there. Then he carried me away from them – when I was unconscious and bleeding. When I woke up, he was bandaging me. Then he carried me farther, away from the vampire that was chasing me. When we were caught, he put himself between me and the vampire, and he kept it away from me until help came. That's what he's doing to me."

"I would have done the same." Stefan claimed, after processing what Elena had said.

"I think you would have. I'm just not sure you would have been there with me. Damon was."

"Elena, I'm here for you, whenever you need me."

"I know Stefan. But Damon is there for me wherever I need him."

The vampire was getting worried. "Elena what are you saying. Do you not love me?"

"Of course I love you. I have told you that time after time. How can you doubt it?"

"Damon then. Do you love him?"

Elena shook herself. "I don't know."

They sat in silence for a minute before Stefan spoke.

"I just don't understand some things, Elena. Katherine is dangerous. Everything she does, everything she wants you to do is a threat to you."

Elena did not hide her anger at the statement. "Katherine is not a threat to me. Things happen. But my deal with her is the only way I have of protecting my family, Bonnie, and anyone else I care about. Damon understands that. Do you?"

Stefan was taken aback by her tone. "Where does that leave us? Do you not want to see me anymore?"

"Of course I want to see you," she said, looking into his eyes. "I love you. I want you to be you, and I want you to let me be me. There are things I have to do now. You may not approve, you may not agree. But please, don't make it harder for me. It's hard enough already."

"I'm sorry," Stefan nodded. "I just worry about you."

"Worry doesn't help, Stefan. I don't what's going to happen, I don't know what's coming next. I do know Damon will help me. I hope you will help me. And I know I will love you. But you have to give me some space – just a little. I would still like to meet, talk, eat together, do things with each other - even more. Just slower. Just for now."

He tried to keep his face blank - not sure he succeeded. "I wish I knew what was going on in your head. I'm not good at puzzles."

"It's not a puzzle, Stefan. It's just what I need. We just need to agree to meet or do something ahead of time."

Stefan sighed. "Whatever this is, I just don't want you to have to do it alone."

"No one else can do it for me. And believe me, I'll call if I need you."

"OK." Stefan tentatively moved in to kiss her. Elena was willing.

They were interrupted by Jenna.

"Elena, you asked me to let you know about these. Come to the TV."

The girl and the vampire followed Jenna. There was a story about a man killed in an animal attack.

"It's happening again," Jenna said. "Did you suspect it would?"

"Not suspect. I was just worried. I'm a worry-wart you know," Elena said, pulling Stefan back outside.

"Is there another vampire here?" she asked him.

"I don't know. Maybe. We don't greet each other or anything when going to a new town or passing through. You know that."

"I told Katherine her 'protection' would have to feed. If this is one of her people..."

"Katherine?" Stefan asked. "You think it might be her doing?"

"I don't know, but I am going to find out." She gave him a kiss on the cheek "Call me tomorrow, OK? We'll do something then."

Elena went upstairs, pulling out the phone Katherine had given her for emergencies.


	24. The Whatever It Is That They're Doing

Katherine

Katherine answered before the first ring had finished.

"Elena, what do you need?"

"Hi, sorry to bother you, but somebody has been killed here. I thought you should know, in case it was one of your people."

Elena heard only silence.

"Katherine?"

"Elena, do you recall why I gave you the phone?"

"For emergencies."

"No, Elena. I gave it to you so you could reach me when you are in danger."

"But if someone is killing people in Mystic Falls, I'm not safe."

"You know what I think about Mystic Falls, Elena. I am only concerned with you."

"But what if it's someone you sent? Are you sure they wouldn't hunt here?

"There are other vampires in Mystic Falls. And I told you there are rules."

"Yeah, vampire rules. I don't know what that means."

Elena could tell that Katherine was getting terser. She would not be able to keep this up for much longer.

"In this case, it means there will be no hunting of humans by anyone I send there within a 50 mile radius of Mystic Falls."

"Do you trust them to do that?"

"These are the ones I am trusting with your life. Yes, I trust them to follow the other rules I have set. Whatever is doing this will not get close to you Elena, but if there is a problem in your town, you will need to find another way to attend to it. And please limit the phone use as you promised. You are at a line you cannot cross in the future."

"I understand. Sorry," Elena said. 'Well,' she thought. 'It didn't take me long to mess the phone thing up…'

* * *

Damon

Elena was leaving when he came. She had wanted to talk to him so much it was almost anti-climatic.

"Going somewhere?" Damon asked her.

"I was. It can wait. Do you want to …" she pointed at the seats on the porch.

Damon nodded and sat. She sat next to him.

There was a tense silence between them.

"This is starting off well," Elena said.

"Is it starting? What you promised me?"

Elena nodded her head. "If you want. If you're ready for it to."

"I am. So what do we do?"

"We start off with understanding each other. I saw you here last night with Katherine, holding her hand."

Damon nodded. "Harsh beginning, but fair question. Elena, she and I have known each other for a very long time. And we were very close. You saw us when we had just had a very long discussion after a very long time apart."

"And?"

"And nothing. We were catching up. She's ready to move forward. But I think you knew that."

"No," Elena said. "She said some things around me that didn't make sense then, but do now. She's why you're pushing the timing of this."

"Put yourself in my position, Elena. Two things you've always wanted. One says she wants you. The other says maybe, someday, after I give everyone a shot first."

"Not everyone," Elena interrupted before he could continue. "You've put me in a tough position, Damon."

"All I did was tell you what I wanted and essentially that I did not know how long I had before I would take Katherine up on what she is offering. I told you the truth and you said you would give me my shot. Changing your mind?"

She shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. I really do want to know what this is between us."

"You mean besides love and hate?"

Elena had to laugh. "I have hated you – more than I thought I could hate anything. And despite that, you've helped me. You've kept me safe. But I don't know if it's love."

"You need both, Elena. How can you know someone if you have not seen them at their worst and at their best. You've seen me both ways. You've hated, now can you love me?"

"That's what we're here to find out. Are there rules?"

"Like what?" the vampire asked.

"Like with Stefan – or Katherine. They are a pretty big part of both our lives."

"Your choice, your rules. Katherine will do what she wants, but other than one long walk together, she's giving me time and space. She says she needed it to decide about me, and she'll give me as much as I want."

Elena was a little nervous about asking again, but she had to be sure. "Stefan?"

"All I want from you is what I asked for – a real chance. If you give it to me, if you can let me know that you really are giving it to me, you can deal with Stefan as you see fit."

She sighed. "He'll figure it out."

"Figure what out? He's been accusing me of getting too close to you for some time. His paranoia is reasonable – I mean..." Damon pointed his hands at himself and moved them up and down in front of his body. It worked - Elena smiled.

"This is what I don't want, Elena, what you promised would not happen. You promised you would not worry about what he thinks. Just me. Just give me a fair shot. If you do that, whatever you think you need from him or need to give him is fine with me."

"OK," Elena said. "Anyone else need to know or not know? Are we going public?"

"I don't need a spectacle. We've been seen in public together before. Let's just take whatever comes."

Elena nodded her head. Then another thought occurred to her.

"The news said something about a man being killed. Supposedly an animal attack. Did you…" She trailed off without finishing.

Damon held her eyes. "You mean did I kill him? Elena…"

"It wasn't an accusation, Damon." Elena interrupted. "It was a question. I know who you are."

"You don't trust me?"

Elena hesitated, trying to think of a way to explain. "It's not a matter of trust Damon. I have never asked you to not be a vampire, to not drink human blood. I'm alive now because of who you are, because you had the strength and power to save me and protect me. I would never ask you to be anything else. I just need to know if you know anything about the man who was killed."

"No."

"Will you help me find out more about it?"

"Yes."

One word answers. Had she blown it already? "I'm sorry Damon. I didn't know how else to ask. You know I trust you completely. All I need is for you to tell me that you didn't do it. And I need to know that I can ask you hard questions. Its part of this whatever this is that we're doing."

Damon's face was hard, but softened. "You're right. You need to be able to ask me. I don't want to make it hard for you."

"So what's next?" Elena said, thinking out loud.

"We could go dancing."

Elena laughed. "You're so jealous of Stefan and that 50's dance. I really feel bad now about what I did to you."

"Don't. I got the good dance later. You were gorgeous, and he left. It's what I said before – the early pain made the pleasure so much more..."

"OK, dancing," Elena agreed. "Let me know the details."

"I will."

"And now," Elena started, feeling much more comfortable about all this than when their discussion had begun, "will you ride with me to Bonnie's house?"

His expression, shock, maybe discomfort, was not unexpected.

"I don't think she would want to see me."

"I know, Damon. I'm not asking you to go in with me, just go with me there. She's a big part of my life. Part of this is seeing how it would affect her and me. And I just…I want you to be with me while I go there. Will you?"

Damon nodded and joined her in the car.

* * *

Bonnie

Elena kind of wanted him to go at least part of the way from the car to the house. He didn't. Instead he excused himself to go wherever he was going to go when they were done. She didn't know and didn't ask.

"Elena?" Bonnie asked. It seemed a little odd.

"Yes," Elena said slowly.

"OK. Come on in." When Elena looked at her a little funny, Bonnie added "Katherine came once. She didn't pretend to be you or anything – at least not at my door. But it scared me a little."

"It's OK Bonnie. You can be careful around me. Have you heard news about someone being killed – animal attack?"

"Yeah," the witch replied. "Of course, you think its more."

"I don't know. I know Katherine was supposed to send some vampires to protect me, but she says they aren't allowed to hunt here."

"And you believe her?"

"Yeah. And I asked Damon - he didn't do it either. I'm afraid something else is out there."

Bonnie only nodded her head.

"Would you try to find whatever's doing this? You saw a vision about John Gilbert."

"I can try, but I think it'll be hard. It helps if there is some kind of a connection. Maybe we can go where it happened tomorrow and see if we can find something?"

Elena was relieved. "OK. I would really appreciate it. And Bonnie, would it be OK if I bring Damon?"


	25. The Token and the Turf

The Token

"I could have picked you up for this," Damon said the next morning.

"I know." Elena replied as she entered the driver's seat. "Bonnie prefers me to drive."

Damon nodded. Then as Elena was starting the car, he stopped her.

"Wait," he said, pulling a small box out of his pocket. "I have something for you first."

Damon opened the box and removed a silver bracelet.

Elena looked at it in his hand and then stared at him. "It's beautiful. What's this for?"

"A token of our agreement."

"'Agreement'. Is that what we're calling it?"

"Well," Damon said as he pulled her wrist close and fastened the bracelet in place, "I admit its not as catchy as your term of 'this whatever this is that we're doing', but I like it better."

Elena looked at the bracelet on her wrist. "It must have cost a fortune. Did you get this for me?"

"I got it for the woman who loves me. If you decide that's not you, you can give it back. It can be your signal to me that you've chosen, and it's a choice I wouldn't want."

Elena started her car. "Or I can just use my words, and maybe keep the bracelet?"

"Now that would be a bad choice on your part"

* * *

Left Out

"Why are we here?" Damon asked as Elena pull into the school parking lot.

"Mr. Saltzman is coming."

"Why?"

"Because I asked him to. I think he can help."

"Just one more person at risk." Damon said as Alaric came to the car. Elena left the car and opened the trunk where he placed a bag.

"Did you hear any more details on the supposed animal attack" Elena asked as Alaric climbed into the seat behind her.

"Two now," Alaric replied. "Another body was found this morning."

Elena leaned against the wheel. She looked like she was taking it personally.

"You really don't know that it was a vampire," Alaric said.

"If it was," Damon said, "It could be more than one. One would not have needed to feed again so quickly. And, if just passing through, it would have left already. If it is vampires, we have to be ready for more than one."

"Agreed. Should we get Stefan?" Alaric asked.

"Not yet," Elena said. "I think he'll call me later anyway. If we need him, we can get him then. Let's just pick up Bonnie."

* * *

The Location

Bonnie came though the door as soon as Elena pulled into her driveway.

"Elena, did you hear? There's another one."

"Yeah I did. Mr. Saltzman didn't say where though. Is it the same area as the first?"

"Close enough," Bonnie said as she sat next to Alaric. "Something's going on. I tried some stuff at home, but couldn't get anything."

"What are we looking for?" Elena asked as she returned to the road.

"Anything belonging to the victims would have probably been removed with the bodies." Alaric added.

"Something tangible would be best." Bonnie said. "But even just being at the location should be enough to give me what I need."

"We'll try the first location first," Elena decided. "There will probably be people at the new one."

* * *

The Rules

Alaric was leading the way. Damon hung back and was finally joined by Elena.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" He asked her. "With a second body, there is almost sure to be something – something dangerous to them and you."

"You of all people know that she can defend herself against a vampire, Damon. He can too."

"We don't know if there is more than two," the vampire argued.

"I'm counting on you and Bonnie to be able to tell me if there is – if we're in over our heads."

"And what is this about Stefan calling you later?" Damon demanded, suddenly changing the subject.

"I kind of told him to last night – before we talked. And anyway, it is within the rules you set."

"Rules can change, Elena."

"No. The bracelet sets them in stone. As long as I wear it, I expect you to do as we agreed, and I promise to do so as well. Now let's catch up to them before they need us."

* * *

The Search

Alaric stopped and waited for them all to join him.

"We're getting close to the first place. We need to be a little stealthy in case there's someone around."

They were surrounded by trees, but Alaric was leading them out of the woods into some kind of field.

"The first body was found in this area." Alaric said. "Are we close enough to get anything?"

"We'll see." Bonnie picked a spot a settled down, pulling supplies out from a bag she had brought.

Alaric was also busy readying his stakes and darts.

Elena pulled Damon aside. "Do you sense anything?"

Damon looked alert, but shook his head. "Nothing. Not right now anyway."

"Can you walk around a see if you can pick up a trail?"

"You make it sound so easy." Damon said as he started to walk away from them. It was harsh enough that Elena knew he was still a little ticked at her.

"Let us know if you find something. OK?"

Damon turned around, his face hard. But it softened as he nodded. "I will."

Elena nodded in return and turned back to Alaric and Bonnie.

"Anything, Bonnie?" She asked.

The witch just nodded. She was concentrating.

"I think she wants to concentrate for a minute," Alaric said softly.

Elena watched as Bonnie did her spells, occasionally glancing at Damon for a sign that he had found something.

* * *

The Turf

Damon managed to signal for Elena to come closer. He spoke before she came too close.

"Found something. Stay here. I'll be back." He moved into the trees at a speed Elena knew she could not begin to match.

"Damon what is it?" She asked, but he was out of sight before the words were out.

Then Bonnie let out a squeal.

"Elena, get back here!" she yelled.

Elena ran back to her. Alaric was there as well.

"What is it Bonnie?" She asked.

"Damn, damn, damn. Three…no four vampires. And they're coming at us - fast."

"Where?" Elena asked, looking around them, but not seeing anything.

"All around us. I can't focus on any one enough to hit it with anything."

"What can I do?" the girl asked the witch.

"Stay close. I'm going to try something." Bonnie began to chant softly.

Alaric moved close as well, also scanning the area around them.

Something surrounded them that Elena could only describe as wind – though it was not quite the right word.

"Do you know what she's doing?" Elena asked Alaric.

He shook his head.

"It's a protection spell." Bonnie said quickly. "Usually for a house. I'm trying to define an area of this field for protection. Now stay put and shush." She resumed chanting.

Alaric pulled gently on Elena's arm and pointed. There was someone coming. Just one. She couldn't be sure, he was still fairly far away, but it made sense that it was one of the vampires Bonnie had seen.

"Vampire?" Elena asked.

"I can't tell." Alaric said. "It could be, I guess."

"Yes," the witch said forcefully. "Shush."

Elena watched him approach thinking things didn't look quite right. She started to walk towards him.

"Elena, stop!" Bonnie demanded.

"No, give me a sec Bonnie. I think I know who he is."

"You need to stay within the air movement."

"I will. Can you just stop it for a minute? And if there's a problem, start it back up again?"

"I can stop it. I can't guarantee I can start it back up."

Elena wasn't fazed. "Just be ready. If I scream, it'll be your signal to start back up."

The wind died down. It had not been very far from Bonnie and Alaric, so Elena was mostly waiting for the vampire to get close enough to hear her.

"Stop." She said. It obeyed. "What do you want?"

"I'll have to ask your friend, the witch, to not interfere." The vampire said.

"Interfere?"

"With our protection of you."

"You work for Katherine." Elena said, and turned back to Bonnie who was approaching with Alaric now. "He works for Katherine, Bonnie."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"He won't hurt us." Elena said, and turned back to him. "Are there four of you?"

"Yes. Please ask your friend to not interfere."

Bonnie spoke now. "I promised Katherine I would protect her with my power against any threat. From where I stand, that looks like you."

Elena gave Bonnie a "What?" look as the vampire spoke again. "We need to be able to approach her to protect her. Please do not interfere."

"Bonnie, it's OK," Elena said as she turned back to the vampire. "I thought you were to remain unseen."

"We have been. When the Salvatore left, we drew closer. Then your friend began to interfere. She must allow us to approach you if needed."

"You saw Damon leave? Do you know where he went?" Elena asked hopefully.

"No."

"Can you follow him and help him if needed?"

"No. I was told you know the rules. Please ask her to not interfere."

Elena could see she was not getting anywhere with the vampire. "You just startled her. She was only protecting me. Now that we know who you are, she won't interfere."

"Don't be so sure," Bonnie said.

Elena shot her a quick glare and turned back to the vampire.

The vampire only nodded and ran out of sight.

"Katherine's right," Elena muttered. "She does work with idiots."

"Yeah," Alaric said. "Let's just keep those idiots on our side."

Bonnie was still glairing when Alaric started laughing. "What's so funny?" the witch asked.

"Come on, you don't see it?" When neither girl answered, he said, "There's a turf war between vampires and witches over Elena. It's funny."

Elena did not laugh. "We're wasting time here now. Can you find where Damon went?" she asked Bonnie.

"Probably, though it would help if I had something of his."

Elena fingered her new bracelet, and wondered if she should wait for Damon to return as he asked, or if she should have Bonnie try to find him.


	26. Choices Made and to be Made

The Choices

Stefan had been called. He would be on his way shortly. Now Alaric and Bonnie watched Elena as she tried to come up with a plan.

"I think Damon found something. Maybe whatever killed these people is still close. Maybe we can put an end to this quickly." Elena was kind of rambling.

"They're not likely to come to us with Katherine's vampires here," Bonnie noted.

"Maybe I can get away from them and draw the killers to me." Elena said.

"Draw them to you?" Bonnie asked dubiously.

"Yeah, and then Katherine's vampires would take them out when they got too close to me."

"After you give Katherine's vampires the slip?" Bonnie asked. "Elena…"

Elena immediately realized what she had said and raised her hand to stop Bonnie.

"It was just a rough draft. But we need to do something."

"Maybe we should wait for Damon," the witch suggested. "You said he was coming back."

"And maybe you should go find him." Elena snapped back. She immediately shook herself and apologized.

"Sorry. Sorry," she said. "But I think he was 30 or 40 yards that way when he left," she said pointing. "Can you see if you can get anything there?"

"Sure," Bonnie said, thinking it would not be a bad idea to get away from this irrational Elena for a little.

"Would you like me to stay with you?" Alaric asked Elena as Bonnie started to walk away.

"No. I'll be fine. You should stay with her in case she needs help."

Alaric nodded and moved to catch up with Bonnie.

Suddenly Elena felt very tired. Or maybe just overwhelmed. She sat down in the field and drew her knees to her chest.

A few choices, she thought. Go with Stefan when they met. Stay with him when she found out about him – even though at first she decided not to. Help Damon open a tomb, go in after him when she found out it was more of a trap for him than a rescue – a trap set by people she trusted.

A choice to save him again when he was caught in a burning building. Another to save him, Bonnie, Jeremy and a maybe others when things went bad between Bonnie and Katherine. Just a few choices, and suddenly she was pledging her loyalty to the baddest vampire she knew of. She was surrounded by vampire protectors – or traitors. She could not tell the difference, and worse, she was not sure Katherine could tell the difference. And there were vampires trying to kill her – not that they wouldn't kill anyone else, but it felt very personal. And to top it all off, Alaric Saltzman was right - she had vampires and witches arguing over her. Just a few choices had led to this.

She sighed and ran her fingers over the new bracelet – the token of her agreement with Damon. She couldn't have imagined ever having anything so beautiful on her wrist. There was another choice to make, and she had no inkling of which way it would go. But she knew that whatever her decision would be, it would change things. It would have consequences. She did not regret any of the choices she had made that had led her to where she was just then. But perhaps unlike some of the others, the decision of whether to keep or return the bracelet would be carefully made. She would take her time.

She rested her head against her knees and actually fell asleep.

She did not hear Bonnie and Alaric approach her. Nor did she hear Bonnie stop Alaric when he moved to awaken her.

"No," Bonnie said. "Let her rest."

"She needs to know." Alaric replied softly.

"She'll know soon enough. And Stefan will be here soon. If she wants, he'll be able to follow."

"I'm not sure I can leave her here alone." Alaric said.

"She'll be fine. One thing I am absolutely convinced of now, nothing will be able to approach her too closely before she is surrounded by Katherine's vampires. They will protect her."

Still Alaric didn't move.

Bonnie pulled at him. "We need to get going. Stefan may have vampire speed, but we don't."

Alaric sighed and left with Bonnie.

* * *

The Chase

Damon was running as fast as he could.

He may have started off the pursuer, but it had changed. Luckily he had recognized soon enough, barely, the trapish nature of where he was headed. Now he was the prey.

He hadn't stopped to count the number of those chasing him. It could be just the one he had sensed at first, or the two they had feared. It may even be more.

Whatever it was, he had a new mission now. Lead them away from Elena, as fast and as far away as he could.

He was getting stronger, faster. He wasn't sure he was up to full strength and speed. He had been tested recently and had actually done much better than he expected to when it had started. But then he had motivation – keep the creature away from Elena.

Different method now – same motivation. Same task. Keep it or him or them away from Elena. This time it would be running – being chased. But drawing them away from her.

It didn't leave much time for scheming or much breath for what he had to do. But it would be enough. He had to. He and she both needed help.

Damon managed to pull his phone from his pocket and hit a speed dial. He wasn't sure she would, but she answered.

"Damon."

"Need help. Can you track phone?"

"Yes. We'll be there. Is Elena OK?"

"Don't know. Can't talk"

"OK," Katherine said. "I can check that. But she's not with you?"

"No. Drawing them away from her."

"Thank you, Damon. Keep moving and keep your phone on."

* * *

Alone?

Stefan was leaving his car. He had come as soon as she had asked, but she was calm on the phone and with others, so he was not unduly alarmed.

But when he left his car and started on foot to where she said she was, he became concerned.

There were vampires near. He started moving at top speed to where she said she would be.

At first he tried to sense the other vamps. They weren't moving, at least not at first. He thought one of them had started to follow him, but had soon stopped. They were giving him room for whatever reason. So he concentrated on Elena.

He found her sitting, curled up, alone. Why alone? Bonnie, Alaric and Damon were supposed to be with her.

He stopped several yards from her and concentrated. Relief flowed through him as he heard a steady heartbeat, steady breathing and…he would get in trouble if he called it snoring, so he just smiled to himself.

Stefan approached her slowly and quietly – scanning the field and trees that surrounded them. He could see nothing unusual.

"Elena," he said softly, tapping her shoulder. Then he stared. Her wrist held a new bracelet. He hadn't given it to her. Who? Katherine? Was it something else she was making Elena do?

"Elena," he repeated, whispering into her ear as he kneeled in front of her.

"Stefan," she said, instinctively hugging him as she woke up.

She kept her eyes closed and held the hug for few seconds, not really knowing where she was - or caring.

Stefan was not going to interrupt her. He began to think he had his old Elena back.

Then it hit her. She opened her eyes and broke off the hug. She started to stand, but needed his help to get all the way up.

She looked around for the others but did not see them. "Where're Bonnie and Mr. Saltzman?"

"No one was here, Elena, you were alone."

"Damon didn't come back?"

Stefan shook his head. "No one was here."

"Yes, Stefan, they were." Stefan's heart sank. She had returned to her recent attitude towards him.

"You were alone when I arrived, Elena."

"OK. Sorry. It's just not going well so far." She began to think. Where had she pointed for Bonnie to go? Where had she last seen Damon?

She found it and started moving towards it. "Come with me OK? I think I last saw them there," she said pointing.

"Elena, we need to be careful. There are other vampires in the woods."

"I know Stefan. They're Katherine's. But the idiots won't help. We need to find them on our own."

Stefan was, as so often lately, confused by what Elena said, but he caught up and walked with her to wherever she was going.


	27. Into the Woods

Wisdom

Bonnie was getting increasingly nervous. She and Alaric were going deeper into the trees, there was less and less sunlight – really none anymore.

She had picked up on what she thought was Damon's trail, but that was long gone. They were following another vampire now.

Bonnie was leading the way, Alaric was following, ready to act when needed. She was impressed – he seemed as fearless as Elena, as trusting of her as Elena.

But she was starting to lose faith in this. Not in herself or her power, just in the wisdom of following an unknown, probably hostile vampire out of the protection of the light into the trees.

"I think we should go back and wait for Stefan," Bonnie said, stopping and turning to face him.

"But you said we were following Damon and that he might need help."

"We were, but something's changed. I don't have Damon's trail anymore, if I ever did. I don't know who we're following."

"OK," Alaric said. "If you think so. But there are two of us. You apparently pack quite a punch, and I have vervain darts and stakes that have taken out quite a few vampires. Couldn't we handle one vampire?"

"That's just it. I'm getting better at telling where they are and where they've been, but not their numbers. If they're spread out, like Katherine's were, I can tell them apart. But if they're close together, I don't think I could. There could be one or five, just close together. I don't know. I think we should at least go back to where there's sunlight."

"Fine, but if we're getting out, lets get out. I think that, if it's paying attention and sees us turn around, it will come after us. How fast can you run?"

* * *

Obsessed

Stefan was walking next to Elena, obsessed. Not with their mission or the recent deaths, not even with her. He was obsessed with her bracelet. She almost never had anything on either wrist, and it was much too nice for her to have bought for herself anyway.

He was barely registering what she said as they walked.

"Can you tell if Damon went this way? I think he did, but he left so fast."

"There's a trail here," Stefan said. "He was here."

"And Bonnie?"

"Bonnie and Alaric came this way as well."

"Anyone or anything else?"

"I don't think so. But would you expect anything out here? Maybe when we get to the trees."

Elena nodded. "Are we being followed?"

"Behind us and to the left of us. They're Katherine's?"

"Yeah. My protection, it seems. I couldn't talk her out of it this time. But only two sides? Does that mean there's only two of them?"

"Yes. Two. How many did you think?"

"There were four. Did the others stay behind?"

Stefan shrugged his shoulders. "That I don't know. I can tell what's near us pretty well, but I don't have much range."

Elena nodded, and wondered what happened, and what to do next. Her musings were interrupted by a question which, though expected eventually, was unwelcome at the moment.

"I see you have a bracelet. Did it come from Katherine?"

"Katherine?" Elena asked. "No. Why would you think that?"

"I just don't know all the details of your deal with her. And I don't know who else would …" He decided it might not be wise to finish that statement.

She knew the questions would come, and not just from Stefan. And she had no intention of hiding it or her "agreement" with Damon from him or anyone else. But now?

"Not Katherine," she repeated. "And please, use your super hearing and seeing and smelling or whatever to find Bonnie or to tell if there is danger near, not to brood over what is not being hidden. We'll talk about it when this is done."

"'Talk about'. Every guy's favorite words."

"Please Stefan. Concentrate. Is there no sign of trouble with Bonnie or anyone?"

"I'm not hearing them at all."

"Then we need to go faster. Would you be willing to carry me and run until you do hear or sense something?"

Really, it was more to get the subject away from the bracelet than for any worry about Bonnie and Alaric or Damon, though she was thinking things were moving too slowly.

Stefan nodded, and she let his arms lift her and hold her close as he increased his speed.

* * *

How Could She Not Have Known?

Katherine was furious. Not at Elena, not at the vampires she had sent to watch over Elena, certainly not at Damon, but at herself. She knew Elena well enough to know that she would react to what seemed like a couple of random killings like this. And she knew Damon and Stefan well enough that they would do whatever Elena asked, no matter how risky.

Damon was in trouble, so she had sent two of the vampires she had watching over Elena to find and help him. She knew they would be fast, she hoped they would be fast enough. At least she knew that Bonnie and the teacher were there as well. More power, if needed.

As she entered the woods she wondered if she was being just as reckless as Elena seemed to be. Probably an overreaction - there was not much that Katherine could not handle by herself, let alone with the help of people that were already in the woods and that she knew were on her side.

She pushed such thoughts out of her mind and concentrated on getting to where she knew Damon to be. She would have to trust Elena's safety to the two she had left to protect her.

* * *

Saved by the Light - Maybe

Damon had been caught. He knew it was just a matter of time. He had finally seen some sunlight – a break in the trees. Not a very large spot, but enough to give him some breathing room.

Now that he was still, he could see – two vampires. At least one of them looked familiar, but he could not remember where from.

"Can't come into the light? Must be awfully inconvenient. You don't know the right people."

"The sun won't last," said one of the vampires.

It was true. The light was just a spot – a break in the woods. It would eventually disappear – long before sunset. The trees would eventually block all of the light.

Damon reached for his phone. Gone. He didn't know if it had made it back into his pocket when he had called Katherine or not. Hopefully it had, and it had just fallen out recently. Not that it mattered. For now, he had two vampires near him, and his job was to keep them here – away from wherever Elena was now.

"You could tell me why you're chasing me." Damon said.

"You chased us," a vampire replied.

"I followed you. There's a difference." Damon said.

No response. Not very talkative. Damon's words would not hold them here.

One of them turned around – it looked like he was leaving. The other glanced briefly in his direction, away from Damon. Damon jumped out of the light and knocked him over. The vampires were quickly back next to each other as Damon backed into the light again. Hopefully the message was clear – they both needed to stay there with him.

* * *

Trails and Idiots

Stefan stopped. He still held Elena. He couldn't bear to put her down, and was afraid she would ask him to. She didn't, but she did give him a quizzical look.

"The trails separate here, Elena. Damon went in one direction, Bonnie and Alaric in another."

It was time. She had to decide who might need help more. She didn't spend much time on it - humans and witches were much more vulnerable. She didn't like the idea of leaving contact with Damon until later, but she felt she had to.

Elena spoke softly, hoping her vampire protectors would not hear. "Stefan, follow Bonnie, but slowly at first. When I squeeze your shoulder – go at top speed to them. OK?"

"Why?" he whispered.

"Need to lose these guys, at least for a little bit. If there's something bothering Bonnie, I want it to move away from them to us. I'm not sure it'll do that if the idiots are too close."

"They'll be faster than me," Stefan said.

"Then we'll need surprise to give us a head start."

"It won't last Elena."

"Still, Stefan, try. Please?"

Stefan nodded and began to move in the right direction. Slowly, as she had asked.

* * *

How Long?

Alaric and Bonnie hadn't made it out of the trees. He had been right again – shortly after turning around, the vampire they were following was on them.

Vampires, actually. There were two. But Bonnie had been had been careful enough to keep here wits about her as they were walking quickly towards the safety of the light. She had sensed the vampires in time to call Alaric to a stop and to start the protection spell again.

Now they stood still next to a tree in a very small area surrounded by 'moving air'. She was wondering how long she could keep this up. He was wondering if he could shoot one of his vervain darts through the air movement without disrupting the spell or having it deflected from its target.


	28. The Demons in the Trees

The Phone

Katherine was moving through the trees to where her gadget said Damon's phone was. She was also trying keep herself aware of what was around her at the same time.

She wasn't sensing anyone else, but knew she couldn't risk going any faster. It could change anytime.

When the phone was very close she stopped and concentrated. Nothing. She scanned the area until she saw it, walked slowly to it and picked it up. She looked around. She could see no signs of a struggle or fight. She could see where he had gone – the trail he had left, and she was getting ready to follow when she realized others were coming to her. At least three.

She concentrated to determine where they were coming from, picked a gap she thought she could get through, and left at full speed. It was, unfortunately, not the direction that Damon's trail led.

She did manage to reach under her blouse and pull out a necklace she wore. It had a small button on it, which she pushed. Then she concentrated on running.

* * *

Into the Light

Damon was getting a little concerned. The sun was moving, though slowly. He knew he had some time, but the vampires weren't budging. At least he was resting –getting stronger. But they were too.

He realized where he had seen one of them. This was not good.

He watched them carefully. If one turned his back, or even if he thought they were far enough apart for him to move, he was ready. He needed something – anything He was grasping at straws now. He began looking around for a rock or something he could throw to distract them. It was a long shot, and there was nothing anyway.

The needed distraction came from the outside. Something was moving toward them. He heard it, very faintly. And at least one of the other vampires heard it. It turned away.

It was all Damon wanted or needed. He was immediately jumping towards the vampire still watching him. The vampire braced for his assault, even flinching back a little. But Damon moved slightly to the side and instead of directly hitting him, grabbed him, planted his feet, and started dragging him into the light.

The vampire wasn't going there without noise and a fight. Damon was taking some real damage, but was getting some blows in himself, and was holding on firmly.

He had been able to drag the vampire part of the way into the light when the vampire that had been walking away realized what has happening. He was immediately in place and pulling the vampire out of the light.

It was a tug of war that Damon was losing. If he could just keep some of him in the light long enough, he could do real damage. Perhaps enough that Damon would really only have one vampire left to fight.

Then he was no longer alone in the light. A vampire had appeared and was helping him pull. As the resistance stopped, Damon looked briefly at the vampire next to him. He was easily holding the struggling vampire in place.

He looked back into to trees. The other vampire was under vicious assault, and was losing. He too, was being dragged into the light.

Damon watched silently as both struggles ended. One vampire approached him, while the other went back in to trees and stood still, concentrating.

They could walk in sunlight - that was a good sign, wasn't it? Surely his call to Katherine had paid off.

"Who are you," Damon asked the vampire that approached him.

"We work for your girlfriend."

"My girlfriend?" Damon was a little confused.

"Or we protect her. You really need to decide which - we're getting tired of hearing about this."

"Katherine's talking about me?"

"Surprised? She has been for awhile."

"Where is she?" Damon asked.

A noise came from the vampire's pocket. He pulled out something that looked like an ipod and looked at the screen.

"She needs help." The vampire said. Both were suddenly gone.

"Katherine or Elena?" Damon asked, starting to follow. He had to stop and work out a few kinks in himself before he could start following.

He still could not approach their speed. He had taken some damage, but he followed as quickly as he could.

* * *

Back into the Sunlight

Stefan was moving as fast as he could while carrying Elena. She was silent, trusting him. Or maybe knowing that if she spoke it would distract him.

Her protectors were following, but he couldn't tell how far behind they were. He was concentrating on Bonnie and Alaric.

He quickly found them. As he approached, he could see two vampires who were trying to figure out how to get through Bonnie's spell. Almost immediately he could see them turn towards him.

He tried to set Elena down carefully as he ran, but he was going too fast. She stumbled to the ground. Though he knew a vampire was coming at him, he also saw that a vampire was moving towards her. He turned immediately towards her but did not reach it before the vampire hit her. It was going towards her neck before Stefan managed to knock it off of her. Then he was hit again from behind by the other vampire. He had to turn to fight it.

Elena was struggling to get up, trying to regain her senses. She knew the vampire would be coming at her again.

She saw a blur go past her and the vampire that had attacked her was being taken by two vampires - apparently her protectors.

She couldn't stop watching. It was ugly and fierce, noisy and bloody. When it was over, she could only think 'He was right again. We do need to keep these idiots on our side'."

When she managed to stand, one of the Katherine's vampires was standing near her, though it did not speak.

Her eyes found Stefan – still fighting.

"Go help him!" She yelled at the vampire next to her.

"Not allowed." It simply said.

"This is stupid," Elena said as she started to move in that direction.

Alaric finally decided he had a clear shot and fired a vervain dart at the vampire fighting Stefan. Before it arrived, the fight shifted. The dart hit Stefan, who managed to throw the other vampire aside before collapsing.

Bonnie then had the other vampire under her spell. She was able to hold it and get it onto the ground, shaking in pain. She released it when Alaric moved to stand next to it with a stake. As soon as she released it, he staked it.

Alaric made sure the stake was firmly in place, then moved to Elena, who had run to Stefan.

"I'm sorry," he began.

"Not your fault. Do you know how long he will be disabled?"

"No," the teacher replied. "It's long enough to burn them or stake them. That's all I've ever cared about."

"But you made them!" Elena's frustration and fear were beginning to show.

"Didn't you use one of these on him once? How long was he down?"

Elena shook her head as she tried to recall. "I don't know. I couldn't bear to watch him that closely after all that had happened. Maybe 20 minutes or half an hour."

"That's as good a guess as we're going to get." Alaric said.

Elena looked at Stefan and sighed. Then she looked at Katherine's vampire who had moved towards Stefan with her – though he just stood nearby watching.

"Where's the other vampire?"

"Checking to see if there are more," it replied.

Elena nodded her head. She wanted to yell at him, to let her frustration out, but she had learned that arguing with these idiots didn't help. She turned back to Alaric. Bonnie was standing next to them now.

"Are you guys all right? Did they get to you at all?"

"No," the witch replied. "We're fine."

"Thank God. OK." She realized she was sore from the fall she had taken as she stretched her neck and shoulders.

The other vampire had returned and they were standing together nearby.

"Do you know where Damon is?" she asked them both at once.

One of them shook his head. It was the one she had talked to before about Bonnie.

"Can one of you go and find him? He might need help."

She had just asked the question when a noise came from the pocket of one of the vampires. He pulled out an ipod-looking device, briefly nodded at the other vampire, and was gone.

The remaining vampire approached Elena. "He has gone to help Katherine. I will remain with you. We need to get you back into the sunlight."

"No!" Elena exclaimed. "Katherine needs help? Where is she?"

The vampire just shook his head.

"If she needs help, I'm going there. Where is she?"

"Back into the sunlight." He said.

"Are you going to take me to her, or let me just wander in the woods?" She said. Then she started walking in the direction the other vampire had gone. "Come on." She said to Alaric and Bonnie.

"Oh," Elena said, turning back to the vampire and pointing at Stefan. His eyes were open, but he hadn't moved. "Bring Stefan."

"You'd better do what she wants." Bonnie said to the vampire as she started following Elena. "She's obviously queen…"

Bonnie said another syllable under her breath, but managed to not say it out loud. Alaric tried to not chuckle as the vampire picked up Stefan and started following.

"She won't be happy about this. It had better not get me staked…" it muttered.


	29. Keeping Promises

Devastation

Katherine was devastated.

Death was around her all the time. Humans and vampires. Sometimes she caused it. Too often she witnessed it. But rarely was it so close as now.

She knew she would eventually be caught by the pursuing vampires. She hoped she would be out of the woods before it happened. But only to think, she would never leave those she knew were still in there to those chasing her.

She didn't expect to make it, and she didn't. When the chase was done, she saw there were four vampires. They attempted to taunt her – she didn't respond. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe it would have bought her more time. But she wasn't in the mood. She knew help was on the way. She would just have to hold them off until it came.

And she did. She had done this time after time – not often with so many. But she was able to fend them off once the fight began. It was taking a toll on her, though.

Then help in the form of one of her vampires. She thought they might have split two against her (she was giving them a pretty good fight by herself) and two against him. But they didn't. Three attacked him. He was good - really, really good. And additional help came in the form of two more of her vampires. But by the time they arrived and two of the hostile vampires turned to fight them, he was almost gone. She was busy with her own fight, but when she stole glances in his direction, it hurt.

Damon came when he had just been killed. At least it kept the vampire from returning to her, or helping take another one of hers out. But Damon did not look good when he arrived, and he was on the defensive from the start.

And she knew no one else was coming.

* * *

Surprise and Promises

Stefan was up and moving on his own. Not fast, but the group was much faster now. Elena was not sure it was fast enough. The vampire had said that Katherine needed help. Katherine need help? How was that even possible?

"This is too slow. Carry me to her, please?" Elena said to her remaining protector.

"She doesn't want you where there is any risk to you. I have no idea how she will react when she sees you."

"Slow or fast, it'll be the same. Make it fast. Please. I just need to know."

The vampire stopped and stared at her. Finally he nodded.

Elena grabbed a stake from Alaric, and moved next to the vampire so he could pick her up. Then she had another thought. "Can you carry Bonnie as well? She can help if needed and it wouldn't be much more weight."

The vampire scowled, but let Bonnie climb onto his back and hold him around the neck as he picked Elena up.

"Will you be able to hang on?" The human asked the witch.

"Watch me," Bonnie said as she tried to secure her legs.

"Stefan. Can you carry Mr. Saltzman?"

"Well's just run," Alaric said. "I'm betting I can keep up with him in his current condition."

He wasn't quite right. Stefan was slower than Katherine's vampire, but Alaric still lagged behind.

The vampire quickly reached the fight and assessed it. He put down Elena as Bonnie dropped off and immediately headed towards Katherine.

Katherine managed to signal him to another direction – towards Damon, who was hanging on, but not much more.

"Bonnie, help her." Elena said, pointing to Katherine.

"I can't Elena."

Elena misunderstood. "Bonnie, please. We have to protect her."

"No Elena, I can't..."

Elena started running towards the vampire attacking Katherine, readying her stake. She did not hear Bonnie finish, "…use my power against just one when they are that close. It would hurt her too."

Katherine saw Elena approaching. "Elena no!"

The other vampire turned from Katherine and attacked Elena. Elena had moved to the side a little and was trying to position the stake in a way she thought would be effective when the vampire hit her. Bonnie's power did hit the vampire now and Elena was able to move away from it. She dropped the stake, but Katherine picked it up. When she was next to the vampire, Bonnie stopped. Katherine used the stake effectively.

Elena and Katherine looked at the others at the same time. Damon was standing still, watching them. Two of the hostile vampires were lying still – all three of Katherine's were dispatching the remaining one. Elena did not watch. She moved towards Damon, but stopped to watch Katherine who had moved to one of the bodies of the dead vampires. She saw Katherine pick up his hand, exposing the ring that let him walk in the sunlight. Elena expected her to remove the ring, but she didn't.

Bonnie was standing by Katherine now, confused by the expression on Katherine's face. "You cared about him, didn't you?"

Katherine nodded her head, but did not look at her.

"I'm sorry," Bonnie said.

The vampire stood and turned to face the witch. "If you don't already, you need to know that the only ones I will let near Elena are ones that I completely trust. Yes, I cared about him. He proved his loyalty to me long ago. That is hard to find in my world. And I knew that, if needed, he would give everything he had to protect her - or me."

Katherine looked back down at him as she continued speaking to Bonnie. "We have a deal Bonnie. I wouldn't and haven't asked for me, but would you give your life for Elena? She gave up a big part of hers for you."

Katherine moved to her three remaining vampires without waiting for a response. The last of the fighting was over. Bonnie looked at Elena who had turned to where Stefan and Alaric were arriving.

Damon was on the move now. He pushed Stefan who fell back and hit a tree. "This is your fault!"

Elena was there quickly, pulling at Damon's arm.

"Damon, no! Leave him alone. What's wrong?" She managed to get between them.

"That house he supposedly burned down," Damon began. "One of the vampires chasing me was from that house. I recognized him. He didn't do what he said he did."

Elena turned back to Stefan. "Stefan? What happened?"

"I did burn the house down. But I left the tunnel. I had to give them a chance, Elena, a chance to change. You would have wanted me to."

"Now you're blaming her?" Damon asked angrily.

"No Damon." Elena said as she turned back to him. She tried to calm him. "Maybe he's right. Maybe I would have wanted them to have a chance."

"Vampires don't change Elena," Damon said bitterly.

"Stefan did. You did, and I had to give you a lot of chances. But there were only four in the house, and one was killed."

"They had friends or they went recruiting. And how can we know if we've killed them all yet?" Damon asked. He hadn't calmed down much.

"Damon…" Elena began. She was cut off by Katherine.

"He's not wrong. A word please?" Katherine said, nodding her head to tell Elena to follow.

Elena followed, but not before pulling Damon away from Stefan.

"Stay? We need to talk." She commanded when she thought they were far enough apart.

Damon did stay.

"Are you OK?" Katherine began.

"Just a little sore," Elena said.

The vampire nodded. "We can't keep doing this, Elena. What exactly did we risk both of our lives for today? A town that has wanted to burn me for 150 years? And Damon? And Stefan?"

"I can't let people die. And they don't want that anymore. They don't even know what you are."

"John Gilbert did not act alone, Elena." She sighed and shook her head before continuing. "I've come to learn some things about you since our association began, Elena. I know that you will do anything I ask of you, regardless of any risk or danger involved. And I know that you will protect me without thought for yourself. You have been completely faithful to your pledge to me. I have no doubt that you always will honor your pledge. I don't take this lightly."

"We have an agreement. Bonnie will be safe and you will leave Jeremy and Jenna alone."

"As long as they leave me alone. But remember, Gilberts are targets. I will do all I can to ensure your safety, but the others…"

"Neither would betray you. And Jenna is not really a Gilbert."

"She is Jeremy's guardian, and yours. That makes her target enough." Katherine shook her head again. "We have to come to an understanding, Elena. The price today was very high. I can't help you to be safe if you try to escape your protection."

"You won't let them help," the human argued. "If they would just help when I ask them…"

"Elena. I am risking people I care about to protect you." Katherine hesitated and added, "If you ask them to help Damon or Stefan, I will permit it. But you must ask, and anyone else is too much. Do not test them further."

"They're staying then."

"Yes. The rules remain in place and they will not interfere with your life. If things stay calm, you will not see them. I hope you will sleep better knowing they are there, but that may be too much to ask. I also hope you will see it for what it is - a token of my appreciation for your loyalty, and a manifestation of my pledge to protect you. I have people who will do almost anything for me, but I don't have anyone like you. You are unbelievably valuable to me."

Elena was a little shocked – was this some kind of compliment? She nodded her head.

"We will make sure the woods are clear of any threat before we leave." Then Katherine surprised Elena. "New bracelet? A gift?"

Elena nodded. "Damon."

Katherine nodded her head. Elena could not read her expression. For some reason, Elena felt she had to explain.

"Damon said it was a…"

"No need, Elena," Katherine interrupted. "That is between you and him. I will keep my promises to him, and I expect that you will as well. We have some clean-up to do. You will still have an escort when you leave the woods, but it will be unseen." Katherine left to join her vampires.

Everyone was looking at Elena as she returned to Damon. She could tell they were ready to leave. At least it looked like Damon and Stefan had calmed down. Her talk with Katherine had certainly calmed her.

"I'm sorry I got so upset at you," Elena told Damon. "I understand your reaction, but he did what he did because of who he is. I wouldn't want that to change anymore than I would want you to."

Damon shook his head. "I just can't believe he would take the risk – with you."

"And you're risk-free? I stayed with him because of what he is. I met you because of what he is. I am wearing this bracelet now because of what he is. And now, I need to go with him and explain what the bracelet is and what it means."

"You sounded earlier like you were going to let him figure it out on his own."

"No," Elena said, being sure to look into his eyes. "I owe him the truth. Today he helped me, he saved me. Just like you have done. You're brothers, and you fight. But I'm alive because of both of you."

"I can't promise I won't get jealous of whatever time you spend with him," Damon said.

"I will keep my promise to you Damon. Sometimes, like today, it will suck royally. Sometimes, like today, I will want to give him more than the promise would allow. But I will keep it."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked towards Stefan. She turned back to him before she took too many steps. "I'll be at the Boarding House, if you go home this evening. And I'm still waiting for details on dancing…"

**End of Part IV - Choices and Consequences. The Epilogue Introduces Part V...**


	30. Epilogue, Deals with Demons

Epilogue to Part IV – Deals with Demons

Elena arrived home relaxed and happy for the first time in it seemed like forever. It had been days, not weeks - but more than a week, since she had to worry about something trying to kill or use her. No deaths from "animal attacks", no visits from Katherine, no sightings of her "protectors". Nothing.

She had been dancing with Damon. That went well, she thought. He was giving her time, which was one thing she never seemed to have in any aspect of her life. And she was enjoying it.

Stefan was still around. She still did casual things with him. She thought she had to. Decisions required alternatives. And she was apparently able to show Damon that she was keeping her promise.

She greeted Jenna with a hug. They had been talking more lately. Without the vampire stuff to hide, there wasn't even a reason to be evasive. Not that she let Jenna dig too deep. But it seemed to keep Jenna satisfied.

As Elena climbed the stairs, she noted that the only thing she wished she could change right now was her relationship with Jeremy. She tried and he cut her off. She had only done what she thought was right. She was only protecting him – something she had to do. Surely he would understand that – eventually.

She passed his door. Closed. Not a surprise. She didn't knock, she just went to her room and changed into her nightwear. She was tired after dancing – she expected to sleep well.

After changing she was on her bed, brushing her hair, reliving the day's events in her mind when a knock came at her door.

She cringed, just a little. Jeremy was ignoring her, Jenna generally gave her space at this time of night. Was her vacation from Katherine over?

"Come in," she said.

Jeremy entered.

"Jer!" She sat up immediately and moved over to give him room to sit on the bed. "What can I do for you?"

"You keep saying you want to talk. And as much as I hate saying it, I want to talk to you."

"Of course. Whatever you want. I just need to say…"

"No Elena," he interrupted. "Do not say you're sorry again. I've heard. I need to tell you something you may not know."

He hesitated. She tried to give him a look of encouragement.

"When I overdosed on your pills, I had drunk some of Anna's blood."

Jeremy was silent as Elena processed the information. It took a few seconds to sink in.

"Jeremy, no," Elena said. "No. You weren't trying to…"

"I was trying to turn."

Elena's shock was visible. "I can't believe this. You have no idea what you were trying to do."

"No, Elena, I don't now and I didn't then. I only knew that the only people I've cared about for a long time have done it. I knew they were gone, that I could never have them back. But I could follow them, I could go where they went. I could turn."

"Jer, think about your family. What would happen to us?"

He scowled. "Do you mean my uncle who killed Anna or the sister who lied to me?"

"I'm sorry! You know I was trying to protect you."

"But all you did was hurt me. Everyone I loved died. You kept me from protecting them."

Elena closed her eyes and tried to come up with a response. Jeremy spoke first.

"I want you to take me there – to where the vampires are. I want to see for myself where Anna and Vicki were. What it was like, what they saw. I want to go where you go."

Elena stared at him desperately as she shook her head. "You don't know what you're asking. I told you, I would talk to you about it. I will tell you anything you want. I promise."

"Your talk is full of lies Elena. Take me there. Let me see for myself."

"Jeremy, please..."

He interrupted her. "You want to help me? Take me there, or I'll find it myself."

Jeremy left. Elena threw her brush at the closing door in frustration, thinking what she had not spoken.

"I made a deal with a demon to keep you out of there, and now you want me to take you in?"


	31. Elena, Elena, Elena!

**Part V - Protecting Jeremy**

Helping Elena

"I tried so hard to protect him, but it didn't work. I don't know what to do."

Elena was at the Salvatores', sitting at a table next to Stefan. Damon stood nearby. She was telling them about Jeremy and the demands he had made of her.

"What did you tell him you would do?" Stefan asked.

"I told him I would do it."

"You told him that?" Stefan asked.

"I can't have him looking for vampires on his own. He might find one."

"Exactly what do you plan to do?" Stefan asked.

"I don't have a plan - that's why I'm here. Maybe we can do something to scare him out of this."

"Maybe," Stefan said. He really was trying to help and was in agree-with-Elena-on-everything mode under the current circumstances.

"And exactly what has scared you out of this, Elena?" Damon asked. He had been watching her the whole time. He couldn't stand to even look at Stefan when he was near Elena. Damon could only describe him as pathetic.

Elena understood instantly. Stefan needed a little more.

"Surely when he sees something that scares him, that he is afraid of…"

"He's a Gilbert, Stefan." Damon told his brother. "They have never been afraid of vampires. They have always just fought us. You've seen him. He's not afraid of me, certainly not of you."

Stefan was not willing to give up. "Everyone's afraid of something."

Elena shook her head. "Damon's right."

"You don't have to take his side just because…" Stefan said, looking at the bracelet.

Elena scowled at him. Damon just laughed.

She pushed the objections away. "I have to do what he asks. I have to take him somewhere."

"Where?" Stefan asked. "It's not like there's a hangout, not since Pearl's house."

"Damon?" Elena asked, looking at him.

"Tell him that. He'll know from reading your journal that it's more about the vampires coming to you than you going to them."

"Will you talk to him with me? He said you've talked to him a little."

"Yes." Damon nodded.

"You don't want me to?" Stefan asked.

"No Stefan," She replied, knowing it would hurt him – again. "I don't want us to gang up on him. One vampire is enough."

* * *

Losing Elena

"He's getting worse," Damon said as they climbed into Elena's car.

"I know," Elena said.

"I know what it's like – Elena withdrawal."

"You never had me, Damon. Even though I pushed you away every chance I had – and you gave me many – you didn't have me to withdraw from."

"It still hurt."

"I know. Sorry. And knowing that makes this harder. But you didn't act like Stefan's acting now."

Damon smirked. "I've never acted like that, and I never will."

"That I know. That I actually appreciate."

"Plus you still see him, Elena."

She had to laugh. "Yeah. And what a sight he is. I know he's better than this. Should I call Katherine?"

Damon was surprised at the sudden change of subject. "Call Katherine? Why?"

"She scared me when I first met her. Maybe she can scare Jeremy."

The vampire shook his head. "I thought we were past that. Afraid or not, you still stood face to face with her – even at her worst. I saw – I remember."

"Grasping at straws now." Elena sighed.

"And, anyway, are you in danger?"

"Damon, I know I told you about her getting upset at me and telling me that, but it was to…" Elena didn't finish.

"It was so I would do what I am doing now - keep your from abusing what she has given you."

"Yeah, I know. I won't call."

* * *

Following Elena

Jenna was out, so they had their choice of where to talk. They chose the kitchen table.

"I know he's a vampire, Elena," Jeremy said, "but this doesn't count. You need to take me out there somewhere." Jeremy gave a meaningful wave of his hand.

"I will, Jer. But you need to understand some things. One is that, here anyway, vampires don't just have a place. They come and go. I mean, Damon and Stefan live here, but it's just a house, a boarding house. Nothing unusual."

"I know. I read. But Anna was somewhere. Vicki was somewhere. We can go there."

Damon spoke now. "Anna was with Pearl and Vicki was with me – at ordinary houses. You live where vampires have been. Vampires have been at your school and parties. You've seen. You need to be more specific about what you want."

"I just need something, something to help me remember them. I'll never know if I remember Vicki right, and the only thing Anna gave me is gone."

"Jeremy," Elena said, reaching for him. "I understand."

"No, you don't!" Jeremy said sharply, pulling away. "You have no idea what it's like to be alone. To be me. Yeah, you lost mom and dad like I did, but you haven't lost anyone else."

"I knew Vicki."

"You knew she was a mess. You didn't help her. You probably made fun of her like everyone else."

"I wouldn't do that," she argued.

"Elena, don't try to make this about you. You promised. If not to where they were, take me somewhere else. Take me to where you last saw some – you know, other than Damon and..."

"It wasn't romantic, Jeremy," Elena said. "They were killing people, so I tried to find them."

"What? The animal attacks a couple of weeks ago? And why would you try to find them?"

"I needed to see if it was vampires, and if it was, to try to stop them." Elena was surprised at how much she was telling him.

"Was it vampires?"

"Yes."

"And you stopped them?"

Elena shook her head. "Friends of mine. Including Damon."

"How did they stop them?"

"They were killed - destroyed," Elena said.

Jeremy looked at Damon. "I know Vicki was different from Anna. I read what you wrote, Elena, but why would one vampire kill another."

Damon spoke now. "Because they were threats to your sister and they were threats to you."

"I know you don't care about me," Jeremy said to Damon.

"But I do," Elena said. "You have no idea what I've had to do to keep you safe. You and Jenna and others."

"Then tell me. Show me."

Elena looked at Damon.

"Some things are private Elena. You don't have to show him or tell him everything. Just take it in steps."

She was glad Damon was there. He was helping.

Elena spoke to Jeremy now. "I will do as you ask. I will take you to where I last saw other vampires. I will tell you what happened. But you have to promise to keep it a secret. Nobody else can know…"

"I know, Elena. I can keep this secret. You didn't know I knew about Anna until I told you. I will tell no one – even Jenna."

"Especially Jenna." Elena said. "She is one I can at least keep safe from all of this."

"Yeah," Jeremy said. "Because 'ignorance is power'". His look told Elena that he still had not forgiven her.

"I know you're still upset. Fine. But this is not about just you and me. It could put Jenna and others in danger. You have to promise me you will keep it a secret from everyone who I do not tell you was there. Otherwise, this ends now."

It took a few seconds, but Jeremy's smirk turned to submission. "Ok. I will keep it a secret. I promise.

"And if you can handle it, if you want to know more, I will tell you or show you more. OK?"

"OK. We're going now, right?"

Elena sighed and looked at Damon, who nodded.

"Yeah, now. Wouldn't want to put this off."


	32. The Fieldtrip

Another Drive

Elena had changed into something more suitable for the hike they were about to take. Jeremy was upstairs doing the same.

"Do you want to get Bonnie or Rick?" Damon asked.

"No. I know I wrote about them and some of what they could do, but let's just tell him about it for now. I'll need for them to agree before I take it any farther with them."

"Fine. Just us. But I'm not showing him any of my mojo either."

Elena nodded. "He just wanted to go there. That and my words will be all he gets today."

They heard Jeremy coming down the stairs, so they moved to the door.

Elena drove, Damon sat next to her. Jeremy sat in the back.

"Where are we going?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm not sure," Elena said. "I didn't really pay attention to where Mr. Saltzman was leading us when we went there. Damon will lead us."

"I will?" The vampire smirked. "Do you finally want to be led astray? I've been trying for so long…"

"Not helping. I just know where to park then Damon will take us there on foot. It's a ways out of town, but you knew that."

"Who was with you?" Jeremy asked.

"Damon, Mr. Saltzman and Bonnie."

"Yeah," Jeremy said. "You wrote a little about Bonnie and the teacher. And you took them there? Were you like, the boss?"

"I was not the boss," his sister claimed.

"She bossed me around." Damon said.

Elena glared at him, making a sort of "grrr" noise.

Damon looked Jeremy. "That's what happened if you did not obey."

It did make Jeremy smile. He wasn't sure what he was getting, but he knew it would be something - something more than he already had.

"I was the organizer." Elena said. "I just wanted to see if we could find out anything about the attacks."

"And you did," Jeremy said.

"Yeah. I guess it was the right thing to do, but it didn't work out as well as I hoped. Some got hurt."

"Hurt?"

"Yeah, Jeremy. It happens when you deal with vampires. They are not all like Anna. Some are. But you need to understand, Anna, Stefan and Damon have been around a long time. They have learned to control their hunger and can act normal around people. Some are like Vicki – newly turned, out of control. They will hurt anybody. Most are in the middle. Maybe they could control it, but they don't have a reason to, or just don't care."

"And the ones who killed those people? Were they newly-turned?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't know. You have to be around them for awhile to know. They probably had at least some control, but they were on a mission to kill. The point is, you don't have to know. Almost any of them will kill you for no other reason than to feed. You do not approach any of them lightly."

* * *

Harsh Reflection

They were out of the car. Elena and Jeremy were walking together through the trees to the field where it all began. Damon had shown them the direction before leaving to check their surroundings, to make sure they were safe.

"Mr. Saltzman was leading the way," Elena narrated. "He was able to find out exactly where the bodies were found and led us there."

"And vampires were here in the woods?'

"Not this part really, more to the north and west."

"Weren't you afraid that they would be there waiting for someone like you?" Jeremy asked.

Elena thought again about everything she had done wrong that day. How she had taken the threat too lightly, and what it had cost Katherine.

"I should have been more than I was. I thought Bonnie and Damon could tell me if there was anything wrong."

"Bonnie?" The brother was surprised. "I mean you wrote that she could do some stuff, but finding vampires?"

"Her powers have grown. But I was wrong. Another lesson learned. You can't have too much firepower with you if you are dumb enough to go hunting vampires."

"Dumb enough," Jeremy repeated. "Does that mean you wouldn't do it again?"

Elena thought about her reply. This was what she wanted with him. Him asking questions, her answering. Maybe not cutting so close to her mistakes, but it is what she wanted. And she wanted him to be careful.

"I might. But I would go slower, and I would try to get more help."

Damon returned to walk with them.

"Anything?" Elena asked.

"Just your escort."

Elena had actually forgotten about the Katherine-imposed protection. Her life had been so calm recently, nothing had brought them to mind.

"Escort?" Jeremy asked.

"Just a fancy word for himself. Damon likes to give himself titles. He needs to realize that it's not helping."

"You say that about him a lot," Jeremy noted.

* * *

The Sister Revealed

They had arrived at the field.

"Mr. Saltzman said the bodies were found around here, so Bonnie started doing something – I'm not sure what. But she was chanting and doing some other stuff. I asked Damon to look around and see if he could find anything. I was hoping that he, being a vampire, could find something."

"And did he?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah. He told me and then took off. I didn't see him again until it was almost over. He had run into some of them by himself."

"Did Bonnie get anything?"

"She did. She cast a protection spell sitting right over there." Elena was talking to Jeremy, but looking at Damon. She thought he was starting to act a little weird. He was behind Jeremy when Elena spoke, but suddenly he was next to Elena, whispering into her ear.

"Company."

Elena looked around. "Katherine's?" she whispered back.

"Most of them." Damon said. "Not all."

"Jeremy, come here," Elena called to him. He was looking at the ground where Elena said Bonnie had been and shook his head.

Elena and Damon ran to him and pulled him up.

"Hey! I was busy!" Jeremy complained.

When Jeremy looked up, he saw that they had been joined by two guys he could only describe as really tough-looking. They were on the outside, one by Elena, one by Damon. Elena pulled Jeremy, facing him to match her direction.

"Stay between Damon and me. And please be quiet." She had seen two other vampires in the distance, approaching them at normal walking speed.

"Are they Katherine's?" she asked Damon.

"No."

Elena started walking slowly forward, the others, on both sides, moved with her.

"Who are these guys?" Jeremy asked.

"Stay quiet" Elena demanded.

Jeremy stopped. "No. Who are these guys?"

Damon pulled him along. "They are her protection." He growled.

"Her protection? What? Why?"

Damon stopped and pulled Jeremy back. As the vampires closed the gap to walk beside Elena, Damon turned on Jeremy.

"Jeremy, I know she takes a lot from you at home. I don't know why, some kind of brother bonding thing I don't understand. But this is not home. You asked to come where vampires are, and you are here. And since you're here, you need to know something. Those 'guys' will rip off the head of anyone or anything they think is a threat to Elena, including you. So you will show her some respect here. You will do as she says."

He was not finished. "I don't know who you think she is at home or at school, but here, Elena Gilbert is not just anybody. Not even close. So do as she asks and stay close to her. You do not want to be around those guys unless she is next to you."

Damon pulled him back into the line, placing Jeremy next to Elena. Elena had stopped. The vampires were still approaching. Elena was about to turn to Jeremy and ask where they had been when she saw something strange.

The approaching vampires suddenly stopped and turned around. Someone had come up behind them and pushed through them. Isobel.

She moved quickly forward to Elena and stood in front of her facing the vampires, but a little to the side so that Elena still had a clear view of them as they approached. She turned her head back to greet her daughter.

"Hey. Miss me?"

Elena had to fight back a smile. She had missed Isobel - just a little.

"You surprised them from behind?" Elena asked. "How is that possible?"

"Being stealthy. Stealthier than them. Showing them our superiority."

"In stealthiness?"

"And numbers." Isobel said as Elena heard someone come up and stop behind her. She was surrounded by Katherine's vampires now.

"A message is being sent." Elena said.

Isobel nodded. "Sent and received. Notice that they are coming much more carefully now."

"Yes, but they're still coming."

"That they are."

"And you don't know who they are?" Elena asked, pulling out the cell phone Katherine had given her. Surely this qualified as her being in danger – or could.

"No idea." Isobel replied, intensifying her cold, distant persona.

Elena waited until they were close enough that she thought she would be able to hear them, but far enough away that Katherine's vampires could protect her if needed. Then she held up her hand to stop them.

"What do you want?" she asked, looking into the eyes of each of them.

"Katherine?" one responded.

Now Elena had another choice to make. Assume the Katherine persona, without any preparation, or….


	33. Of Messages and Rings

Of Cabbages and Kings - no wait – of Messages and Rings

Elena didn't think about it for very long. Pretending to be Katherine had worked fairly well when Katherine was standing there, pretending to be Elena. It hadn't worked at all when she wasn't.

And assuming the Katherine persona without her permission was a risk Elena was not willing to take.

She did hit the speed dial that had been set up for Katherine on her phone. She did not put it to her ear, and did not wait for Katherine to answer.

She did speak clearly and hold the phone in a position that, she hoped, would allow Katherine to hear.

"I'm not Katherine."

She waited a few seconds for a response. Nothing. No vampire on either side moved.

She listened to the phone without moving. It was not ringing, no dial tone. So she hoped for the best and pressed forward.

"I'm not Katherine, but I work for her."

The vampire nodded slightly. "I need to see her."

"But you don't know where she is," Elena noted. "You are not expected."

"No. But we were told we could find her here, or near here. We were told that our visit would not be unwelcome. We were told that we would not be attacked when visiting Katherine."

"You haven't been attacked. Do you even know her or what she looks like?"

"I've met her, though it was long ago. And she looks like you, though it did not take long for me to tell that you are human. A human working for a vampire? Yet you do not seem to be under compulsion."

"Don't rub it in." Elena said under her breath, though she thought all the vampires would probably be able to hear her. "Isobel?" she called and stepped back a few steps motioning for her to join her.

"At your beck and call is really not part of my assignment," Isobel said coolly.

Elena winced. Isobel was warm sometimes, cold sometimes. And she chose now to be cold.

"Please, just help me decide what to do."

Isobel's cold eyes did soften slightly. "You don't have any information. Find out what there is to decide."

When Elena nodded, Isobel returned to her original position, followed by Elena.

"Why do you want to see her?" Elena asked.

"I have a message for her – a message from Nathaniel."

Elena whispered now in Isobel's direction, "mean anything to you?"

Isobel heard and shook head.

"I can get a message to Katherine," Elena said. "If you would like me to."

"I would rather give it to her myself."

"Then you will have to find her yourself. But you cannot go near Mystic Falls."

"We were not informed of such a prohibition, and we were told that she may be there."

"No. You cannot go there. I can give her the message. If you do not trust me to do that, you must at least avoid the town."

The vampires whispered to each other briefly and turned back to Elena.

"You have her protection. We will trust you to give her the message. May I approach?"

'Vampire courtesy,' Elena thought as she nodded. 'As long as he's outnumbered.'

The vampire removed an envelope from a satchel he carried. It was a plain manila envelope, though thick. And there was some sort or writing or marking on it.

"They have Federal Express now you know," Elena said when she saw the envelope.

"Do you have a permanent street address for her?" the vampire asked.

Elena laughed softly to herself. The tension was declining. Then a concern hit her.

"Open it," Elena said.

The vampire was holding it out to her now. "No. She will expect to receive it with Nathaniel's seal unbroken."

"I'm not giving Katherine an unopened envelope. I've seen the news about cyanide and letter bombs. Open it, but go back there first."

Isobel's phone rang before the vampire could answer. Both Elena and the vampire watched her brief conversation – well her nods and "yes" responses.

"Katherine," Isobel said, turning back to Elena. "Take the envelope as is and don't be so dramatic."

"Just trying to watch out for her," Elena said as she took it from the vampire. She expected him to laugh at her, but he didn't. She did notice a distinctive ring on his finger.

"Did the ring come from Katherine?" Elena asked as he turned around.

"No. We have our sources, she has hers."

Elena nodded as he walked away. "Are you returning now? Will you go without hunting here?"

The vampire turned back to her. She thought she saw a glare on what had been a perfectly straight face before. But he nodded before turning back. When he reached the other, they left in a blur.

"They're leaving," Isobel said. "We'll leave you alone now. Oh, and hang up your phone. Katherine said something about it was not to be used as a one-way device. She expects to be heard next time."

Elena winced and did as she was told, wondering if she would ever get anything right when dealing with Katherine.

"Katherine will get the envelope from you later at your home." Isobel said as she turned to leave.

"Wait, can I ask you something please?"

Isobel turned back, her face showing curiosity.

Elena turned to Jeremy and Damon. All the other vampires were gone – or at least out of sight.

Jeremy looked stunned. She wasn't sure how to deal with him. She just spoke to Damon.

"Stay with him for a minute, OK? I need to talk to her."

Damon nodded. His face still looked serious.

Elena walked with Isobel – away from them.

"Thanks for helping." Elena thought she had to say it. "Even if it wasn't assigned by Katherine, it was still appreciated."

"We have a bond, Elena. I'd do anything for you, though you might have to ask, and I might complain."

"Yeah, I love you too." Elena replied, matching Isobel's mildly sarcastic tone. Then returning to normal, she said "Listen, you gave Alaric, your husband, a ring. Where did you get it?"

"He hasn't told you?"

"I haven't asked. I never wondered or cared. And does he even know?"

"Probably not. I got it from John Gilbert."

"Of course you did. 'Dad' - so in love and trying to protect you. Did he say where it came from?"

"Family heirloom. Your adopted family, Elena. He said there were two and his brother – your adoptive father - had the other."

Elena was thinking now. John Gilbert had worn one, probably her father's. Katherine must have taken it when she killed him.

"Do you know who made it, or how? Katherine would not have done it for the Gilberts."

"I don't know." Isobel said. "But apparently she's not the only one with magic jewelry."

Elena nodded.

Isobel waited a few moments as Elena stood there thinking. Finally she spoke.

"Are we done? After what just happened, I can't leave you until you're back with Damon."

"Yes. Sorry." Elena said as she walked back to Damon and Jeremy.

Isobel's word was good. She walked back to Damon with Elena but was gone as soon as they reached him.

"Jeremy?" Elena asked. She was concerned about what he was thinking.

"I'm fine," he said. It was a different tone now. Not the bitter anger there was before. But she was not sure what it was, and she couldn't read his expression.

"Promise you won't stop talking to me again, OK?"

Jeremy nodded. "We'll talk later."

Elena nodded and spoke to Damon. "Take us home. And will you talk to me?"

Damon's smirk was back. "As long as you wear the bracelet."

Elena gave him a shove as they started walking back into the woods towards the car. The smirk was welcome - something normal she could hold on to. She needed that bit of normalcy because she was not sure how Katherine would react.

Katherine would come after her envelope. Elena would give it to her, and apologize for misusing the phone – again. Elena would ask who Nathaniel is, Katherine would probably not answer. And then Elena would ask a favor of Katherine – the only favor she had ever asked Katherine for - excluding the phone. She would ask for the Gilbert ring to be returned to the Gilberts.


	34. Invoking Favors

Why Her?

The envelope was on Elena's lap as she drove. She was not going to let it out of her sight before giving it to Katherine.

Elena glanced at Jeremy in the rear-view mirror. She couldn't read his expression and didn't try to talk to him. She was hoping he would talk to her later, as he had promised.

Elena pulled out her cell as she drove – her non-Katherine cell. She called Bonnie as Damon watched her.

"Bonnie? I need a favor. Would you get Mr. Saltzman and meet at my house later?"

"Any reason for this?" Bonnie asked

"Yeah, but I can't explain right now – you know, talking on the phone while driving. But bring Emily's spell book OK?

"That's a lot to ask, Elena."

"I know, but there's a good reason. Please?"

Bonnie hesitated. "OK. And when is 'later'?"

"Sooner rather than later. I'm expecting someone to come by, and I'd like to have this done before then. As soon as possible actually."

"Will Damon be there? You two are in the same place a lot lately."

"Will it keep you away?" Elena asked.

"Yeah."

Elena sighed. "Then no. Damon will not be there."

"OK. I'll get ahold of Alaric Saltzman and we'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thanks." Elena said as she disconnected and replaced her phone.

"Seeing Bonnie behind my back?" Damon asked.

"Still my best friend Damon. I'm hoping that doesn't change." It was probably the biggest thorn remaining between them.

"I don't know what I think about that."

"Why you?" Jeremy suddenly asked from the back seat.

Elena glanced back at him again. His expression had changed, but was still unreadable.

"Why me? What do you mean?" his sister asked.

"I've known you my whole life. Yeah, guys hang around you, but not like that. Not that I've seen."

"They weren't 'hanging around' me Jeremy."

"I know. Damon told me what they were doing. But why you? What have you done that would make them do that?"

Elena sighed. This was not going to be easy to explain.

"It wasn't anything I did. Someone is just looking out for me."

"I beg to differ," Damon said.

"Damon…" Elena began.

"No," Jeremy said. "I don't know if you'll tell me, but I think he will. Why Elena?"

"She made choices Jeremy, she stood up for people, including me. Her choices led her to where she is."

"Not choices I've seen."

"Don't be so flattering," Elena muttered.

"No," Damon said. "You haven't. You haven't been at the right place at the right time. When it got too close to you, I erased your memory. But she has been doing things, she has stood up for people, helped people."

"Helped who?" Jeremy asked.

"Me for one. I didn't see it in her for a long time. All I saw in her at first was a chance to annoy my brother through her. It took me awhile to realize that there was something more there than just that. I finally saw who she really was when she stood up for me in Georgia."

"I read about that."

"I don't know what she wrote," Damon continued. "But I know that that's when things changed in my mind. She literally saved my life, and I decided then that I wasn't going to let anything that would hurt her get to her. She's stood up for a lot of people, including you. Maybe she didn't do it the right way, but that's what she was doing."

Jeremy didn't respond, so Damon continued. "You may have missed the part where she stood up for people, but you have seen the part where others are standing up for her. No one will get close enough to hurt her – not while I'm alive. And you've seen today that I'm not the only one. Now you have to decide."

"Decide?" Jeremy asked.

"Decide whose side you are on."

"Damon…" Elena tried.

"There are sides?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes. You're either for Elena or against her. You will either stop anything that might be trying to hurt her from getting to her, or you will let them."

"It's not that simple," Elena said.

"Isn't it?" Damon asked. "Stefan has chosen – he's with me. Alaric has chosen – he's with us. Katherine has chosen, she's with us. Even Isobel has chosen. Jeremy must choose."

"Katherine," Jeremy said. "The one you took the envelope for."

Elena nodded. She did not want to have to explain Katherine to Jeremy. So she tried to change the subject.

"Bonnie is on my side too."

"Is she?" Damon asked. "Would she have made the same choices as you? When she had the chance, did she?"

"It's not that simple, Damon. She's doing what she thinks is right. I can't ask her not to."

"Elena tried to keep you away from this, Jeremy," Damon said. "And what you've see today has not changed anything. She's still going to do everything she can to protect you. The question is, will you do the same for her? You have to choose a side, Jeremy."

* * *

Invoking Emily

Alaric and Bonnie were in the house talking to Jenna when Elena and the others arrived.

Damon didn't enter the home. "Call me later?" Elena asked as she saw him turn before entering. He nodded and went on his way.

"Jenna, I didn't think you'd be here." Elena said.

"I finished early and I'm glad I did. I'm not sure why Rick is here to see you, but I'm always glad to see him."

Elena glanced at Bonnie and was glad to see that the spell book wasn't in the open – it was probably in a bag Bonnie carried.

"Well, did you get enough time with him? Can I have him for a little?"

Jenna looked happy. "He assured me he will speak more with me when you're done with him, so go ahead. Do what you need to."

Elena nodded and led them up to her room. She was only being polite when she turned to Jeremy and asked "Do you want to come?" She really did not want him with them, but she felt she had to ask.

"No. I do have some things I want to do. We'll talk later." He just watched them climb the stairs.

Bonnie and Elena sat on the edge of Elena's bed while Alaric pulled up a chair.

"Thanks for coming. Bonnie, remember the pages you showed me in Emily's spell book that said Emily had spelled things when Jonathan Gilbert thought he had invented them? Can you open to the page showing rings?"

Bonnie nodded as she turned the pages.

"Look," she said to Alaric pointing that the picture.

"That's my ring." He said. "Emily did that?"

"Yes," Elena said. "Emily did that for the Gilberts. The Gilberts did as much as anybody to defend the town against vampires. Emily was helping them."

"And it helped them fight vampires." Alaric said. "There are two – mine, and John Gilbert had the other."

"Yes," Elena said. "I think Katherine took it when she killed him." She thought Bonnie winced a little when she said that. Elena turned to Bonnie.

"Emily did this - the rings work even now. Could you do this? Could you make rings like this?"

"Why would you ask Elena?" Bonnie asked. "This wouldn't help Katherine, but you're helping her now."

"Emily was helping Katherine when she did this. I don't think they were on different sides Bonnie. We don't need to be either. I'm going to see if I can get the ring back from Katherine, and if you can do this, we can protect more people."

"You know I want to protect people from vampires like her, Elena. But why would you ask? Are you getting worried about what she might do to you?"

"And why would you ask for the ring back?" Alaric asked. "If it was worn by Gilberts, it would keep her from killing them when they attacked her. She won't give that back."

Elena had another chance to keep her plan to herself, but Damon was right about Alaric – he was on her side, though she did think Damon was wrong about Bonnie.

"I am going to ask her for the ring back to give to Jeremy. It was our family's ring anyway. It should be his."

"Do you really think she'll do this?" Alaric asked.

"I don't know. But to be truthful Bonnie," Elena said, making eye contact, "if she doesn't, I would like to ask you to make a ring for him."

Bonnie shuddered. "I don't know if I have that kind of power. How would we know if it works? Kill him and see if he comes back? Elena, this time you're asking too much."

"I'm only asking for you to help protect the last member of a family who has done a lot to protect Mystic Falls. I'm only asking you to do what Emily did."

"You're bringing her up an awful lot. Do you really think you know that much about who she was?"

Elena hoped she hadn't pushed too far. "Her and you. We all want the same things."

* * *

Asking Favors

It wasn't dark when she came. Elena knew she could come anytime, so she sent Bonnie and Alaric away, stayed up in her room and waited. Maybe it was stupid, she didn't know Katherine's schedule, but she wanted to get this over with and so she hoped it would be soon.

It was.

Katherine arrived less than an hour after Elena was alone. She knocked.

"Come in." Elena was not sure, who it was, but she hoped.

"Thank you Elena."

Katherine looked normal. That was good. It had been some time since Elena had seen the icy, distant look that Katherine had given her during her first few visits. Even when she thought Katherine was upset with her recently, she always looked normal. Disappointed, exasperated, but normal

"It's been some time since I've been here," Katherine said.

"Yeah." Elena answered. OK, she looked normal, and the old fear wasn't there anymore. But it was still hard – she still never knew what to expect.

Katherine waited for more, but it did not come. She sighed. "I could come every day until you're willing to chat with me a bit more, but I really do have other things to do. Do you have the envelope?"

Elena pulled it out of the drawer she had placed it in and carried it to Katherine. "Sorry about the phone. I really am learning what you expect. I will get better at it."

Katherine only nodded.

"Nathaniel?" Elena asked. She didn't know what else to say. Katherine would tell her something, or not.

"We help each other sometimes. We have an alliance of sorts. If he is mentioned, you can trust the messenger. Although I am glad you and your escort were being careful."

When she said no more, Elena decided to get it over with.

"Do you have John Gilbert's ring?"

That got Katherine's attention. She looked at Elena. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"It's a family heirloom. I was thinking you might be willing to give it back to me – as a favor."

Katherine broke eye contact with Elena and looked at the envelope. "A favor. Elena asks for a favor."

Katherine was quiet for awhile before speaking again. "Are you doubting that my protection for you is adequate? The ring would keep you alive, no matter what happened to you, but I will not let anything get close to you."

"Me?" Elena asked. "No. I don't want the ring for me. I want to give it to Jeremy. It should be his anyway."

Elena had to gasp and take a step back when she saw the sudden change in Katherine. Her face had instantly changed from normal to as icy and threatening as Elena had ever seen.

"You know what that ring can do, and you want me to give it back to a family who has tried to kill me for 150 years?" Katherine asked, glaring at Elena.


	35. Is There No Help for the Sisters Brother

The Vampire

Elena was regaining her composure. She knew Katherine would not hurt her, so she tried to just have a conversation.

"That's not who the Gilberts are anymore. No one is trying to hurt you now."

"John Gilbert killed my best friend and her daughter. It was not just about tomb vampires. It was about all of us. And he did not act alone."

"I know," Elena said, trying keep her voice steady and sounding reasonable. "But he's dead. He was the instigator. No one else will fight you. But we're not talking about them anyway. Jeremy would not do that."

The vampire was not moved. "You're very reliable, Elena, when you make promises for yourself. But you're trying to make promises you cannot keep."

"He tried to become a vampire. He was in love with Anna, he wanted to protect her. When he found out that Vicki was a vampire, all he did was think of how he could have helped her. He doesn't hate vampires. If anything, he wants to help."

"Elena, you are asking for too much. The ring did not protect John Gilbert from me and it would not protect your brother from me."

Elena was keeping her voice steady, though it was getting harder. "I don't think he needs protection from you. You have promised me you will leave him alone if he does not attack you, and I know you will. It is protection from others that he needs."

"Too much, Elena. Even if you are right about him, the ring could easily fall into the wrong hands. Even now, there is one ring that is not in Gilbert hands. The teacher helps you now and I do not feel the need to take the ring from him. But to give back the ring I have? A ring used to protect people trying to destroy me? You ask for too much."

Elena had turned to almost pleading now. "You know I'll do whatever you ask me to. I just ask for this one favor. He's all that's left of my family."

Katherine stared at Elena. "Putting aside the blatant insult to Isobel and myself, that is no reason to give him the ring."

Elena closed her eyes and took a breath, knowing she had made a mistake. She tried a different tactic.

"How long will this go on?" Elena asked Katherine. "Pearl and Anna are dead. All they wanted was their life. You say that all you want is to live in peace, that the town attacking you is the problem. The town only reacts when people die. How long will this feud go on?"

"Until they leave me and mine alone."

"Will I be caught in the middle? Who will kill me first - the town for helping you, or you for protecting Jeremy? When will the feud end?"

She almost thought Katherine was considering her words. Almost. Katherine waited a moment or two before speaking.

"There's only one Gilbert left in Mystic Falls. That feud could end anytime."

And Katherine was gone.

* * *

The Other Vampire

Elena was distraught. Was that a threat? From what she remembered, Katherine's threats were much more specific – burn Mystic Falls to the ground, blow up Bonnie's house. Nothing like that here.

But she couldn't take the chance. She called the only one who she thought knew Katherine better than her – Damon.

It went straight to voicemail. She didn't leave a message.

She did get a text message within seconds" "Hunting. Need me?"

She replied: "No. Call when done"

She briefly wondered if he was hunting for animals or humans. She really wasn't in a mood to care even if it was humans - they would live. And even though she knew from personal experience that it would hurt, she also knew they would recover. She called Stefan.

"Elena. Hi."

"Will you come over, Stefan?"

He could tell her voice was strained. "Now?"

"Please."

Elena went to the porch to wait for his arrival.

She greeted him with a hug when he arrived.

"You sounded upset."

"Yeah. You remember that Katherine killed John Gilbert? And that he had a ring like Alaric's?"

Stefan nodded.

"She took the ring when she killed him. You know I've been worried about Jeremy, and it's my family's ring anyway, so I asked her to give it back so I could give it to him."

The vampire understood. "Didn't go well?"

"No." She said, accepting another hug but cutting it off quickly. "I don't think she'll hurt him, but she won't let me do that for him."

Stefan knew it was probably the wrong place to go, but…

"Elena, I told you …"

"No." She cut him off. "Do not criticize my decision again. I have no problem with anything she has asked me to do. I will keep my promises to her."

He could tell that Elena was getting irritated. "I know. I just worry about you. I just want you to be safe."

"Quit trying to keep me safe from Katherine. I don't need that. I need to know how to keep Jeremy safe."

"He'll make his own decisions, Elena. You tried to keep him out of it all, but he came in on his own. Just like you. And he'll have to deal, just like you do."

"But he's made so many bad choices, and he's lost so much. He's right when he says he's lost more than me."

"Then don't let him lose you." He advised. "Did your talk with him earlier go OK?"

"He asked us to take him to the last place I saw vampires, so I did. I took him to where it all happened last week. And he saw some stuff."

"Stuff," Stefan repeated. If he had learned anything since the bracelet appeared, it was that he was not allowed to pry. She would tell him or not.

She didn't.

"Yeah. He says he'll talk to me now, but I don't know how he'll take it."

"Then maybe you need to talk to him."

"Yeah, but he's gone right now. I will when he comes back." Elena did feel a little better now. "And you're right, I need to make sure he knows that whatever happens, he won't lose me. Taking to you has helped. Thank you."

Stefan nodded. "Winning any brownie points? I kind of think I need them."

He had been better lately, and she knew the subject would never go away.

"Yeah, you've earned a couple of points. But I'm still nowhere near…"

He let her not finish the sentence. "Just don't give up on me."

"I won't if you won't give up on me. Show me what you've got – if you haven't already. But Stefan, I'm 17. What do you expect me to do? I'm not making any life-long decisions yet."

"The bracelet just has me spooked. That and that you're spending more time with him than me."

"I'm keeping my promises to him," Elena was careful to look into his eyes as she spoke. "As I told you before, he earned it. Don't make this harder for me."

"Maybe you are like Katherine."

He knew he thought it, maybe whispered it. He really didn't think he had said it out loud. He didn't expect Elena to hear it, but she did.

And it did not go over well. She almost made a show of getting up to go inside.

"Thank you for your help. Please call on me again when you think I might be more reasonable."

* * *

The Witch

Damon hadn't called yet, Jeremy was still gone, so Elena decided to see Bonnie.

Bonnie invited her to sit at the table.

"Katherine turned me down – about me giving the ring to Jeremy," Elena said. "I understand why. I just can't get her to see that Jeremy is not a threat to her.

"You don't know who he is lately, Elena. He may be a threat to her - or you."

"No," Elena denied with a shake of her head, "he's hurt. He's confused. But he's my brother. The worst he's ever done to me is ignore me. I've done much worse to him."

They sat in silence a minute before Elena asked the question both of knew would come, and which both feared.

"Will you charm a ring to protect Jeremy, Bonnie? Will you do it for me?"

Bonnie paused before answering. "Remember when Katherine put me in the hospital? And you saved me?"

Elena nodded.

"And just before I was released, you noticed the bracelet blocking my power was gone – but I didn't want to talk about it. You let me get away with that."

"I remember."

"Katherine took the bracelet off. But she made me promise to use my power to protect you. You saved me. I would have done that anyway, so I promised. And I will Elena – anything you ask of me that will help protect you, I will do. I would even charm a ring or necklace for you if you asked, though I am not sure it would work. But I can't do that for Jeremy."

Elena had closed her eyes by now. Bonnie could tell that what she was saying hurt.

"It's not that I don't want to. I don't know who he is. I don't know if he will fight the vampires like the other Gilberts did. And Emily did this at the peak of her power. Mine is still growing. I really don't know if it would work, and wouldn't want you to rely on it. After some time has passed, after we know what he will do, after my power has grown, ask me again. But I can't now, Elena. I'm sorry, but I can't."

Elena nodded and left her best friend's home, wondering what else she could do to protect Jeremy.


	36. Vampires and Humans and Elena

Vampires and Humans and Elena

It was dark when Elena arrived home from Bonnie's house. She was tired and was feeling beat up after her last few conversations.

Damon greeted her as soon as she was out of the car. She accepted a hug from him.

"Bad day?"

"Yes. Stefan's probably mad at me, but I'm madder at him, I haven't seen Jeremy, I think I crossed a line with Katherine and I think I'm on thin ice with Bonnie," Elena said.

"Well, you saved Bonnie's life, so the ice there can never be too thin. Katherine's protectors are still around, so since you still have her protection, you probably still have her trust. Jeremy is upstairs and is fine, and feel free to dump Stefan anytime. What did he do anyway?"

"He said I was like Katherine."

Damon actually pulled them apart. "If I compared you to Katherine, it would be a compliment."

"Not the way he meant it. Can we take this upstairs? I'm tired."

"Do you want to be seen or not?"

"I guess I had better be seen, Jenna's probably upset at me too. Might as well face it."

"I'll be waiting," Damon said as he left her on her own.

Jenna just sent Elena upstairs saying she looked like she needed some rest.

Damon was standing by the bed when Elena entered her room. Elena just lay down on the covers, motioned for him lay next to her, and snuggled up when he did.

"A lot happened today," she began. "I saw Katherine's bad side for the first time since Bonnie hurt you. I can't afford to have her mad at me."

"What happened?" Damon asked. "What did you do that upset her?"

"I asked for John Gilbert's ring so I could give it to Jeremy."

It stunned Damon enough that he sat up. "Why would you do that? It was protecting someone trying to kill us."

"That's pretty much what she said, but everyone's looking out for me. No one's protecting Jeremy. This was my way of trying to do that."

"He's not out there like you are. He's not in danger."

"He is," Elena said. "Katherine has mentioned several times that since he is a Gilbert, he is a target. Not from her, I trust my deal with her. But she's not the only vampire the Gilberts have chased over the years."

"I understand her objection. But would he even understand the ring?" Damon asked.

"Alaric didn't have to understand it for it to protect him."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Damon was immediately in a nearby chair.

"Come in," Elena said.

Jeremy entered. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Yeah. I want to." Elena said.

Jeremy looked at Damon "I didn't hear him come in."

Elena blushed slightly. "Do you want him to leave?"

"No. It's OK. And Anna didn't use the front door much."

"She was up here – in your room?" Elena asked.

"Sometimes, a little."

"I'm glad I gave you the vervain."

"Yeah. That chain you gave me to wear but didn't tell me why. Anna noticed it and since she liked it, I offered it to her."

Elena was stunned. "Jeremy!"

"It wasn't the vervain that kept me safe around Anna, Elena. It was her. You can't protect me by keeping things from me."

"I didn't expect you to start dating a vampire."

"But I did. And it wasn't just you, Elena. No one told me about this stuff. I had to find it on my own."

The sister sighed and nodded. "We both did. I won't keep any more from you, Jer. If you ask, I will tell you – good or bad, and there was plenty of bad."

"Yeah." Jeremy said. He was still standing by the door. "Just tell me how to deal. I mean, Anna looked normal. If she was bad, I would probably be dead."

"I'm still learning, Jer. You just have to be careful. You keep vervain on you, so you are at least less appealing to them. I still make mistakes, but I have help. People are watching over me all the time."

"Even at home?"

"Apparently," Elena said sighing. "Not that I've seen them, and I shouldn't unless there is trouble here."

"Are you really a target here?"

"I don't know. But the point is, I have help dealing with it. I always have had help. So I will be willing to give you any help you need with this. You don't have to figure this out alone. OK?"

Jeremy nodded.

"Do you want to talk about anything that you saw or that happened?"

"Not right now. Maybe later when I can formulate questions."

"Whatever you want, Jeremy. Just ask."

Jeremy returned to his room.

Elena did not invite Damon to return to her. Instead, she asked him a question.

"Will you keep an eye on him?"

"Do you mean stalker-like or help if I just happen to be around when he needs it?"

"The latter. He's probably OK, but I would just feel better."

Damon nodded. They were quiet for a moment before Elena spoke.

"Stefan's still upset about our arrangement. I told him I wasn't going to make any life-long decisions right now. I'm too young."

She looked at his face, trying to read his expression. It was blank.

"You made a deal with Katherine for the rest of your life," Damon pointed out.

"And for as long as I may otherwise exist," Elena quoted. "I did. That piece of my life is gone. I need to be careful with what I have left. Will it bother you if it takes me awhile?"

"Take your time. I do have all the time there is – though I would like for you to be reasonably spry when it is all settled."

"Thank you. It won't be that long, maybe a …" Elena was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in." she said, wondering if Jeremy had decided to ask a question.

"Thank you, Elena," Katherine said, as she entered. "Hello Damon."

Elena was up off the bed, though she really had no place to go or anything to do.

"What can I do for you?"

"I would like to talk to Jeremy, Elena. Would you ask him if I may?"

She looked at Katherine. The coldness she had seen earlier was gone, she looked normal again. "Jeremy? But why? We have an agreement that he will be safe from you."

"Just talk Elena. No 'damage' as you would say. No threats, just conversation. You say he won't attack me. I would like for him to tell me that."

"Can I be there when you talk to him?"

"No Elena. If you do not trust me to be alone with him, then Damon may join us. But not you. Would you ask him if he is willing, please?"

Elena looked at Damon. He nodded his head towards the door. Elena reluctantly left the room.

Katherine looked at Damon. "Every time I see you, one or both of us is in danger. Perhaps we should do something a little less traumatic together?"

"You've never minded trauma." Damon noted.

"It gets boring, Damon. One reason I came back here was because I heard you were changing."

"You didn't tell me that before."

"One long conversation after 145 years, Damon. I didn't tell you everything and I'm sure you didn't tell me everything. We need to talk more. I know I promised you space, and you have it if you want. But you should know that I wouldn't mind if you talked to me once in awhile when you aren't being hunted down."

Damon smiled. "And you should know I'm changing because of Elena."

"As if I didn't already know that. Neither of us is what we were before she came into our lives."

"And I've made an agreement with her."

"We both have promises to Elena to keep, Damon. I will keep mine to her and to you. But no one's promises to anyone keep us from talking to or seeing each other – if you want."

The door opened. "He said yes." Elena said. "Please promise me he is safe with you."

"He is Elena," Katherine said as Damon followed her into the hall. "We'll only be a minute."

Elena nodded. "His door is open, you can go right in."

Jeremy stared at Katherine as she entered. "She's right. You look exactly like her."

"Hello Jeremy. You know Damon."

Jeremy nodded and motioned for them to sit on the bed. They did.

"You may not know this, Jeremy, but we have something in common, you and me. We are members of the same club, so to speak."

"Club?" Jeremy asked. "What club?"

"The 'only alive because of Elena Gilbert' club. We both live now because of Elena. If Elena had done as I asked a week or so ago, I wouldn't be here. But she did not go to safety, she came to me when I was fighting for my life. She brought a vampire and a witch, and it gave us enough power to win. I owe her my life, and so do you. And, we are not the only ones. Bonnie is a member. Damon is probably the most active member. It seems she has saved him from witches and burning buildings and who knows what else. Who knows who else is in the club."

Jeremy was confused, "She hasn't saved me."

Katherine smiled to herself. "One thing about this club is that most do not know they are members. You have no idea what she has done recently to protect you - and others. But you are probably the founding member of the club. When your parents accepted Elena as part of their family, they ensured that the Gilberts would survive in Mystic Falls, as long as she was one of them. But I speak too freely. What she has done is between her and me."

Katherine hesitated before continuing, as if she was reconsidering.

"What you need to know, Jeremy, is that Elena has asked a favor of me - a favor for you. From what I know, Elena does not ask for favors. She helps people without requesting favors in return and she pays for what she receives. She is asking this favor of me because she has nothing else to give me. She has given me all she can possibly give, but she is worried about you, so she asks."

Katherine pulled the ring out of her pocket but kept it in her closed hand.

"I am told that you know the history of your family. You know that they have fought the vampires since Mystic Falls began. Is this true?"

Jeremy nodded.

"But Elena tells me you are different from the other Gilberts, that you know that not all vampires are bad."

"Yes. I knew Anna, and I know she was not bad."

"I knew her too, Jeremy. I feel her loss, and I understand you do as well."

"Yeah."

"You are a Founding Family member. You will be allowed on councils and boards. You will have the chance to participate in discussions about vampires. But you will know that we are different, some of us just want to be left alone, to live in peace. And we will help you fight any vampires trying to hurt people. Is this something you are willing to accept? Is this a message you are willing to convey when you have the opportunity?"

"Yes. I know it's true. I have seen both – good vampires like Anna, and the other kind."

Katherine gave Jeremy the ring. "Then I will trust you with this. Elena says you will help us, and I trust her."

"What is it?"

"It will protect you. I will let Elena and Damon explain. I must be on my way. But Jeremy, I would ask you to remember, you, like I, owe your life to Elena. Remember that when you are making choices and decisions that affect her." Katherine turned to leave the room. "I trust you because I trust her. Elena Gilbert is not just anybody. Not to me."

**End of Part V - Protecting Jeremy. The Epilogue introduces Part VI ...**


	37. Epilogue Jenna

Epilogue to Part V - Jenna

Alaric watched as Elena entered a car which held three vampires. He had done this kind of thing for her a couple of times before – drive her 30 minutes or so out of town and leave her in the hands of Katherine's vampires.

She had come back each time. She was fine, but it was hard for him to do. He had trouble leaving her at the mercy of these creatures he did not know and certainly did not trust.

She had asked him to do this – not every time she did something for Katherine, but a few times. And he wanted to support her. He knew it wasn't getting any easier for her and he had gone through some of the tough times with her. He cared about Elena and her aunt, so he willingly did what she asked.

It still wasn't easy to leave her alone with vampires, though, even though he knew she trusted them completely.

And he was willing to do the other thing she asked of him during these times – stay with Jenna.

So today, he returned to the Gilbert house to visit with Jenna Sommers while Elena was off doing Katherine's bidding. He arrived just after sunset. Damon and Stefan knew she was away, and they would be nearby, as Elena requested - just a phone call away. Elena was always worried about Jenna and Jeremy, so she took extra precautions.

It seemed a little silly to Alaric. It was Elena who was in danger. It was Elena who was alone. Still, he did as she asked.

It turned out not to be silly today. The door was open – forced opened. Alaric pulled his phone out and hit a speed dial as he entered.

"Jenna? Jeremy?" He called as he moved from the front door. He saw that the back door was open as well.

No one answered his call. When he reached the back door, he could see why. Stefan, Damon and Jenna were all in the back. Stefan was between Jenna and what looked like a vampire. Damon had two to deal with – probably human. One was holding a gun and a stake, the other just a stake.

Alaric went immediately for the human - the one without the gun, and he got to him. When he hit him, the stake was gone and the man was down. Damon went for the other human instantly and was shot. It slowed him down. Then the gun was turned on Alaric and the trigger pulled.

The vampire was immediately there, scooping up the human Alaric had knocked down. He was out of the yard instantly, followed by the shooter.

Damon went to Alaric. "Not good."

"Let's get them to Bonnie's," Stefan said.

Jenna was hysterical. Damon nodded. "We can't leave her here. You take her, I'll take him."

Damon, though recovering, was slowed by the bullet he had just taken. When he arrived, Stefan had already entered Bonnie's home. Jenna was standing by the door, not having calmed down much - stunned by the speed of Stefan's running and by what had happened to Alaric. Bonnie was next to her, trying to calm her.

"I know Elena trusts him," Bonnie said as Damon arrived with Alaric, "but I can't let him in. I won't invite him in."

Damon heard and stood glaring through the doorway as Stefan came to him and accepted Alaric. "Too late" Damon whispered to Stefan.

"I'll check on Jeremy," Damon said as he left.

Stefan entered with Alaric, passed the distraught Jenna and laid him on the couch. He concentrated and checked one more time before saying "He's dead."


	38. Help, Love and Trails

**Part VI - Jenna and the Choice**

No Call for Help?

Jenna was so stunned by the recent events that she couldn't move. She just stood there watching as Bonnie and Stefan stood talking next to where Rick had been placed on the couch.

Her mind, however, was racing. So many questions.

Why weren't they calling an ambulance or the police? Why did they just stand there talking? Why had Stefan said Rick was dead? Could he really tell? Why weren't they doing something?

Who had forced their way into her home and dragged her outside? Why did Stefan and Damon arrive to help her almost immediately? Why were they there at the same time? Though both visited with Elena at home, she never saw them there at the same time anymore.

And where was Elena? She was supposed to be spending the night with Bonnie.

Why wouldn't Bonnie let Damon in when he brought Rick? How did Stefan move so fast while carrying her. Where was Jeremy?

But mostly, why were they standing around instead of helping Rick?

"Were they being compelled?" Bonnie asked

"I couldn't tell." Stefan answered. "The vampire was obviously in charge, but it all happened so fast. I'm really not sure what they were even after."

"Elena. What else could they be after?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We've got to find them and take them out before they have another chance."

"I tried to call her, but it went to voicemail."

"She turns her phone off when working for Katherine," Stefan said. "At least the phone we can call – she leaves the Katherine phone on, but won't give us the number. She says she wants to know who's calling when that phone rings."

"How long will she be gone?" Bonnie asked.

"She's supposed to be back before dawn. You know she's supposed to be staying here, right? If Jenna asks."

"She told me, but I don't think that excuse is going to hold up now."

They both looked at Jenna, knowing the secret was blown, wondering how to help her.

"Can you call Katherine and tell her?" Bonnie asked the vampire.

Stefan shook his head. "Elena can, maybe Damon – I don't know. But I can't."

"Do you know when he'll be back?" Bonnie asked Stefan, pointing to Alaric.

"Not really. It wasn't long last time. Could be any time now."

Bonnie moved to Jenna and pulled her towards a chair. "Please sit down."

Jenna did, asking "Is he really…?" She could not finish.

"He's fine, or he will be," Bonnie replied.

"I saw him get shot. Stefan said he was dead. He is not fine. Why aren't we helping him?"

"Because he doesn't need help," Bonnie replied.

* * *

True Love?

There was a knock at Bonnie's door. When Bonnie and Stefan opened, Damon was letting Jeremy climb down from his back onto the doorstep.

"Where are you going?" Jeremy asked as Damon turned to leave.

"Stay here with the others." Damon replied.

"Did you call Elena?" Stefan asked, thinking she might have given him the other number.

"Left a message."

"How about Katherine?" Stefan asked.

But Damon was gone.

Jeremy entered and went to Jenna, who was standing by Alaric now.

"Has he moved?" Jeremy asked.

Jenna looked at Jeremy. "You too?"

"Me too?"

"You just think he'll come out of it."

"Yeah. Me too." Jeremy said as they heard a knock at the door.

"Why won't they call someone for help?"

"Come on," he said, pulling her away from the couch, towards the door. "Let's see who it is."

Bonnie and Stefan opened the door together.

"Isobel," Bonnie and Stefan said together.

"May I see Rick?"

"You took me to Katherine," Bonnie said.

Isobel nodded. "I did. I did as she asked. We both have deals with Katherine, Bonnie, and they are for the same reason. You have pledged to use your power to protect Elena. I serve Katherine in exchange for her pledge to me to protect Elena. We want the same thing. May I see Rick?"

They could see that Isobel was concerned. She did not even look like a vampire. Her face showed none of the cold distance it usually had.

"She helped Elena," Jeremy said. "Elena trusts her."

"You could hurt..." Bonnie began.

"You could stop me. You know that. Please let me see him. I promise I will do no harm and never enter your home uninvited."

"No harm, no return." Bonnie said.

Isobel nodded.

Bonnie said "Come in" and moved aside. Isobel was instantly kneeling at the couch next to Alaric. Jenna had to gasp at Isobel's speed.

"Who is she?" Jenna asked.

"His wife – ex-wife," Stefan replied.

Isobel stroked his face briefly and moved her hand to his chest. She pulled it up to her face as she smelled blood.

"You could at least have cleaned him up," she said reprovingly.

"He wasn't bleeding." Stefan said.

"His heart has started again. He will bleed until the wound seals up. He's breathing again too. Jeremy, would you get some wet rags or towels for me? I can't stand to see him like this. He's in pain."

Jenna watched in stunned silence as Isobel and Jeremy attended to Alaric. His eyes had opened and he was starting to move.

'What is going on?' she thought to herself. "She may be ex, but she still has a thing for him," she said out loud to Stefan.

"Looks like." Stefan replied as he walked toward them. He helped Isobel place Alaric in a sitting position.

"How did you know about this?" Stefan asked Isobel.

"Katherine called."

"Damon must have reached her. Did she send you here?"

"Elena is on her way back. I will join her when she is back in town."

"I she all right?"

Isobel looked at Stefan. "I didn't talk to her, but she is well protected. We will find out who did this."

Jenna came over then. "Where is Elena?"

Isobel turned to her only briefly before returning her attention to Alaric. "I'll let her tell you that."

* * *

Ignore the Trail?

Damon answered his ringing cell phone. "Elena?"

"Damon. Are you all right?" Elena asked.

"Fine."

"Jenna and Jeremy?"

"Also fine. I just dropped Jeremy off at the Bennett house, where Jenna, Stefan, Bonnie and Rick are."

"Thank you. Are you with them?"

"No. Bonnie wouldn't let me in."

"No! That is not OK. How could she do that?"

"Elena, it's fine. I wouldn't have gone in anyway. I don't like it when you're in there either, but you know that."

"Still," she started, then decided to give it up. "Where are you then?"

"Your house. I'm finding a trail. I have some heads to rip off."

Elena was concerned now. "Damon, I'm on my way. Should be about an hour. Please wait for me."

"I took a bullet Elena. I'm not in the mood to wait for an hour."

"A bullet?" Elena asked. She wasn't told that. "Even more reason. Please Damon. I have a lot of help with me. We will find whoever did this. I'll call Bonnie and tell her to let you wait there for me."

"Not happening, Elena. When you get here, will you go to her house or will you come to wherever I am."

"I'll go to you, Damon. Just wait there for me. Please don't follow until I get there."

"I'll call Bonnie and tell her you'll be at her house in a couple of hours."

"What? Damon…"

"Think about it Elena. They are safe from vampires there. Bonnie and Stefan can handle any humans. Leave them there waiting until we've handled it."

"Ok. I agree," Elena said, sounding a little desperate. "But you wait for me at my house. Please."

"Sure, Elena. Anything you say."


	39. The Feelings and the Truth

The Worry

"Have you met her?" Jenna asked Jeremy, referring to Isobel. "You said Elena trusted her."

"I just saw them together once. It looked like she was helping Elena decide something. And they talked again just before we left."

"Do you know where Elena is?"

"No," the nephew responded.

"Why won't they tell me? How do I know she's OK?" Jenna asked.

"We'd know if she wasn't. She has a lot of people looking out for her. Including that lady with Mr. Saltzman."

Jenna just stared at Alaric. He was sitting up by himself now, almost looking normal now, though his clothes were a mess. He hadn't even glanced in her direction, his attention focused on Isobel, though she barely spoke to him.

"How can he be better now?" Jenna asked. "I saw him when he came in. They said he was dead, and he looked it to me."

"That, I really don't know," Jeremy said as he fingered his own ring. "I guess someone's looking out for him as well."

"Someone needs to explain all of this to me."

"You'll just get upset if I say Elena again, so ask Stefan or even Bonnie. They might tell you something."

* * *

Unspoken Feelings

Alaric had noticed Isobel even before he managed to open his eyes. He heard her voice, felt her touch. He couldn't speak, and he didn't know what he would say anyway. But it was her – at her best. Not the distant, cold Isobel that he had seen recently. This was the Isobel he loved.

But now that his eyes were open, now that he could see her clearly, now that he could speak, he didn't want to. She was withdrawing. What little she said was again cold and indifferent.

He had lost her again. He wanted her back as she was more than anything, but for whatever reason, she wouldn't do it.

"Thank you," Alaric whispered. He knew she would hear and she did. She caught his eyes briefly, and nodded.

"Still claiming you do not care about me?" Alaric asked.

"I never said that," Isobel replied, looking at him. Not cold or distant – this was good.

"Not with words. But you did some things."

"Everyone does things."

"Are you saying you do care?" Alaric was speaking softly. He had noticed Jenna was in the room. Not that he was hiding anything from her – this moment was just a little too intimate to be freely shared.

"Does it matter?" she asked. His Isobel was back. "We are in totally different places now."

"Not totally. Sometimes you are here helping Elena. Sometimes I help her. Not totally different."

"It's not enough, Rick. I am so happy to see you where you are, to see you doing what you want. To see others in your life you care about. But you can't be where you are and where I am at the same time. And you love where you are. You help take care of Elena. I could ask nothing else for you or of you."

"Are you happy where you are?" Alaric asked.

"That doesn't matter," Isobel said as she stood and picked up the remaining supplies used to help him. "I can't come back. I'm really lucky that I get to see you once in awhile, that I get to help my daughter sometimes. Given what I've done, I can expect no more."

* * *

The Witch and the Queen *****_(yeah, you fill in the blank)

Bonnie received a text from Elena – 'can we talk – alone?'

She understood, moved into a different room and called.

"Hey Bonnie. Is everyone safe?" Elena asked.

"Yes, everyone is. Even Alaric has recovered from being shot."

"Him too? I was only told that Jenna was attacked. What happened?"

"I wasn't there, but Stefan said that two humans forced there way into your house and pulled Jenna outside where there was a vampire waiting. Stefan and Damon were near – apparently as you asked them to be – and went to help. Alaric came a little later. One of them had a gun and shot him. Then they ran away, Stefan carried Jenna and Damon carried Alaric here."

"And Damon was shot too?"

"I don't know. He didn't stay."

Elena took a breath to try to keep her temper under control. "You mean you wouldn't invite him in. Bonnie…"

"Elena, you know how I feel. You know what there is between us. And you know he feels the same about me."

"But he was hurt and he was helping. Bonnie. You know he's not the same as he was."

"No, Elena, I don't know that. I know he brought Alaric to us when he had died and then he took off. But I did let Isobel in when she asked to see Alaric."

The human wasn't consoled. "You let Isobel in, but not Damon. You're picking sides, Bonnie. Everyone but Damon."

"Grams wouldn't let him in. How can I?"

"Emily helped him. You know that when he became a vampire, she helped him until he changed."

"I know, Elena," the witch replied, her own anger audible, "and I know you are picking and choosing. Damon did not always get along with Emily, and he never got along with Grams."

"Could it be because she trapped him in the tomb that she knew he could not get out of?"

"And he never meant us any harm?"

Elena switched tactics. "He helps me, Bonnie. He protects me."

"I do too. I told you I would do anything you asked of me to protect you. I made a promise and I will keep it. But I think you need to be protected from him."

"He does anything I ask of him without question, without hesitation. I don't need protection from him. He'll do anything for me."

"Yes he will, Elena." Bonnie confirmed. "No matter who else gets hurt."

* * *

The Reveal

"Vampires?" Jenna said, totally shocked. "That's just a bunch of old stories – fables to explain away deaths in the woods. There's no such thing."

"Are you so sure?" Stefan asked. "Even after what you've seen today? Did you see nothing unusual?"

"Yeah, you were fast, so was she," Jenna said, pointing at Isobel. "But I was in shock. Maybe I didn't see things as they were."

"And Alaric?"

Isobel had heard enough – she retreated to a corner of the room away from Rick and the others. She couldn't bear to be near him anymore – afraid of what she would do. And this other conversation was insane. She thought she should just provide a demonstration – an object lesson so to speak.

"What, Alaric's a vampire too?" Jenna asked.

"No," Stefan said, beginning to think it would have not been such a bad idea to tell her to just ask Elena, like everyone else had done. But Elena didn't need to deal with this as well. "He's not. But what happened to him is extraordinary. It is related to all of this. And one of the guys attacking you was trying to bite you when I got there."

Jenna closed her eyes and shuddered as she remembered. If nothing else he said was true, this was. Stefan had saved her.

"Please tell me that Elena is safe, that no one is attacking her."

"She's safe," Bonnie said as she walked in the room, holding the phone. "Safe and bitchy as ever."

Bonnie carried the phone to Isobel. "Elena would like to talk to you."

"Would she?" Isobel asked, taking the phone. She almost assumed her icy tone, but how could she after her talk with Rick?

"Hello Elena."

"Hi." Elena wasn't sure what Isobel was doing there, so decided to get right to the point. "Katherine said you could help Damon or Stefan if I asked. I am asking you to help Damon."

"What kind of help, Elena?"

"I think he's trying to track the guys that hurt Jenna. He said he's at my house trying to pick up their trail. I asked him to stay there and wait for me, for us, and he said he would. But I would feel better if you would go to him and keep him there or help him or stay with him or something."

"Or something. OK, Elena. I will go. I think my welcome here is wearing thin anyway."

"Will you call me when you're with him?"

"I will if I can, Elena. It should only be a few minutes."

"OK. Thank you," Elena said as she disconnected.

Alaric was standing next to Isobel by now. "Elena?" he asked.

Isobel nodded and forced a smile. "You help her, and now it's my turn. I do hope we see each other again soon, Rick. Take care of yourself, and Elena, until then. OK?"

He nodded and let her kiss him on the cheek as she went to the door that Bonnie was holding open for her.

Isobel paused and faced Bonnie before leaving. "Thank you Bonnie Bennett. I keep my promises. I will never enter your home uninvited. And I am in your debt. If I can ever do anything for you, you need only ask." Then Isobel was through the door and out of sight.

* * *

Protection Needn't Equal Truth

Isobel moved at top speed to the Gilbert house. She thought it was funny. The last time she had run like this, she was following Damon who was carrying Elena to safety. Here she was again, following Damon for Elena.

She wasn't terribly surprised when she reached the Gilbert house and Damon was not there. She couldn't enter, but she concentrated and listened. He wasn't inside or outside. Like so many, he was doing what he thought he needed to do to protect Elena. And, as was so often the case, that meant that he didn't do exactly what he told Elena he would do.

She began to look for a trail to follow...


	40. Questions and Invitations

Questions Asked, Questions Answered

It took awhile for Jenna to build up the courage, but she finally approached Alaric and asked him to talk to her in private. She wasn't sure he would be willing, but he agreed.

Now she had to build up the courage to ask him the hard questions.

She tried to assess his appearance. He look pretty much normal. He had removed and trashed the messy shirt. Bonnie had found a t-shirt he could wear so he would be presentable.

He certainly looked good to Jenna when compared to the way he had come in.

"Jenna?" Alaric asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

She looked into his eyes now and said the first thing that came to her mind. "You lied to me."

Alaric wasn't sure exactly what she was referring to and was going to ask when she interrupted him.

"You said you were bringing Elena here, to Bonnie's house. Where is she?"

"I'm not sure."

"How could you leave her then? I trusted you to take her."

"How much did Stefan tell you?" Alaric asked.

"He told me a lot. He said you were dead and came back. He said he is a vampire. And he said Elena is fine even though no one knows where she is or what she is doing. I'm expecting better from you."

Alaric took a breath and decided he would do it. She was her guardian, now she knew. And he was sure she would protect Elena – at least as much as she could.

Seeing his hesitation, Jenna said "Promise me you won't lie to me."

"I promise," Alaric said.

"Where is Elena?"

"I don't know. I took her to a rendezvous point and she went the rest of the way she was going with others."

"With who?"

"I don't know. I was helping her do her job."

"She has a job? Working for who."

'No time wasted getting to the real test' Alaric thought. But he didn't hesitate. "She works for a vampire named Katherine. When Elena asks, I help her – mostly getting to places she needs to be."

"And keeping me in the dark," Jenna said.

Alaric nodded. He couldn't read her expression.

"You're telling me that what the others have said is true. That Stefan Salvatore needs blood to live. That you were dead and came back."

"I am. Yes, it is true."

"And do you believe Elena is safe even though you don't know where she is?"

"I believe it."

"How could you keep this from me? It's about Elena. Why would you not tell me?"

"Because she asked me not to, and I usually end up doing as she asks. She was protecting you, Jenna."

"Why would I need protection?"

"Do you have to ask after tonight? This world of vampires you're in now is dangerous."

"Stefan said one of those that attacked me was a vampire. And you believe him. But how can Elena be safe then?"

He paused for just a second before responding. "She has more people protecting her than you'll ever know. But if I'm being truthful, she's not safe. She is safer than me or you. But nobody's safe here."

* * *

The Call

Isobel found Damon and kept her promise – she called Elena.

"Isobel?" Elena said as soon as it rang.

"Found him."

"Is he OK?"

"Yes. He's outside a house, sitting. It looks like he is trying to figure out a way in."

"OK, give me the address. We're about ten minutes out of town now."

* * *

Uninvited

Damon had just decided what to do when he heard her approach.

"Careful, there's vampires in that house. You might be heard." Damon said. He looked irritated at the interruption.

"I'm sure you've ruled that out or you wouldn't be so noisy," Isobel said. "How many vampires? I was told you were only following one."

"Three." Damon said.

"Well, when Elena gets here with the others, we'll be able to take them without any problem."

"When Elena gets here? Elena is coming here to the vampires who want to kill her? Do you not get the strategy? In case you were inattentive, your job is to keep her as far away from the 'evil' vampires as possible."

"Try telling her that." Isobel countered.

"Anyway, we can't get into the house. I've tried. I couldn't even break a window."

"Then the owner lives and is probably in there right now. So did you throw a rock through a window?"

Damon shook his head. "Of course not. I'm stealthier than that."

"Do they know you're here, Damon? Are they expecting trouble?"

"They don't know."

Isobel nodded. "Good. Then we can wait for Elena and decide what to do then."

"I'm not waiting for her. I'm going to find out if they were after her before she gets here."

"Damon, she wants you to wait. And what are you going to do, knock on the door?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do." Damon said, moving towards the door. "I've tried everything else."

"Damon, she will be here in less than ten minutes. Wait for her."

"Ten minutes? Then I need to get started."

"Damon, what if they all come out after you?"

"Then I hope she's early. You can take one of them. I can hold off anyone, or any two, for ten minutes."

Damon was knocking on the door now. Isobel hid in a nearby shadow.

The door was not opened by a human. It was a big, ugly vampire.

Damon got in his face – as much as he could with a barrier between them.

"Someone visited the Gilbert house today. Caused some trouble. Hurt people I care about. I'm thinking it was you."

The other vampire wasn't fazed. He glared right back at Damon, not speaking.

"Were you after Elena? Jeremy?"

"Where is she?" The vampire finally spoke, or rather growled. "She can't hide."

"She doesn't hide," Damon shot back. "You want her? You have to start with me."

Damon actually moved forward and hit the barrier – the barrier that kept uninvited vampires from entering.

As he was falling back, the other vampire grabbed Damon and pulled him back into the barrier. He let him go and pulled him back several times until Damon was staggering.

Then the vampire came out after him.

Isobel was immediately on him. She pulled him off of Damon and fought to keep him away. A human and another vampire left the house and pulled Damon into the house, the human saying "come in" at just the right moment. The door closed, leaving Isobel with a vampire to fight while trying to come up with an explanation for Elena.

* * *

Invitation Not Required

Elena arrived and was out of the car immediately. One of the vampires with her went immediately to Isobel's aid and destroyed the vampire attacking her.

Elena ran to Isobel as soon as she could. "Are you OK?"

Isobel nodded. She really was.

"Damon?" Elena asked.

"Inside."

"Inside? Then why are you out here fighting alone?"

"He's not a guest Elena, he's a prisoner – if he's anything alive at all. They took him."

Elena didn't take this well. "No. You weren't supposed to let this happen."

"Blame me later if you must, Elena. Right now, let's just get him out of there."

"OK," Elena said thinking. "How many are in there."

"Vampires? Damon said three, so two now. And at least one human – the home owner."

"Then we can take them. We'll all go in and get him."

"Vampires can't go in there Elena. We're not invited."

"Damon's in there!" Elena's emotions were getting the best of her.

"He was invited. No one else. You know this stuff Elena. Calm down. We need a plan."

Elena glared at Isobel, but knew she was right. She paused for a minute.

"I can go in there."

"No, you can't Elena." Isobel retorted in full icy ready-to-kill vampire mode.

"I can and I have to. I'm not leaving him alone."

"Katherine would literally kill me if I let you go in there."

Elena looked at her hard expression for a moment, wondering how to convince her when another idea hit her.

"Katherine," She said almost to herself. "Would they know Katherine?" She asked Isobel, nodding toward the house.

"Maybe. Probably, since they seem to know who you are."

"Then they will see Katherine," Elena said, removing her vervain necklace and offering it to Isobel.

"Elena, they could compel you." The icy tone was gone from Isobel. "They came here to hurt you or take you, and you're going to walk into their lair? We can't go in!"

Elena was desperate for anything now. "Then I'll sneak in and make it possible for you to follow."

"By killing the owner? Could you even do that?"

"Do you think he would live after what's happened anyway? If not me, Damon could do it."

"Damon is in no shape to swat a fly. It can't be him and you aren't up to it."

Elena shook her head. "Then they meet Katherine. Find a way to cover my back," she said, staring icily at Isobel.


	41. The Truth

The Pause

Isobel picked Elena up and moved away from the house at top speed for 30 seconds or so.

She stopped and held Elena tightly. "If you try that – the Katherine thing, this is what will happen. And I won't stop next time."

Elena knew she had been brought far enough that Damon could be dead long before she could get back. She struggled but Isobel held firm.

"Take me back."

"Think for a minute Elena. We have to know what we're doing before we do anything, or he and you will both be dead, along with me and everyone else Katherine deems responsible."

"You know Katherine is protecting Damon as well as me."

"Yes. And I know she would want you as far away as possible. I only stopped because you really are our only way in."

"OK. I understand. Please put me down and let me stand for a second."

Isobel did.

"Did you have a plan?" Elena asked.

"They came for you. All I can think of is to give them what they want."

"You weren't going to let me walk into their 'lair' a minute ago. What changed?"

"Nothing. You're not going into that house, in fact you're not going back there until we have a plan – a plan better than 'Elena walks in and dies with Damon'."

"OK." Elena said and began to think. This was not her strength. She usually just rushed into tombs or burning buildings or whatever and did what felt right. That was not going to work this time.

* * *

The Truth and Elena

Damon was pretending to still be weak. He had been doing this for some time.

When the vampire started pulling him into the barrier, he eventually realized what was happening, and that this could be his way in. But it would cause him some problems if he let it continue. So after he realized what was happening, he began to wobble, to stagger.

He was convincing – it wasn't long before the vampire came after him. When Isobel took him out, Damon almost turned to help her. He heard the others leaving the house in time to maintain his ruse. He held back when they began to drag him inside. At least he hoped he was holding back. He actually was feeling a little wobbly when they started dragging him in. He was not sure how much of it was ruse, and how much of it was actual damage.

But he would heal – fairly quickly.

They didn't have anything fancy to restrain him. It appeared they did not expect to be holding a vampire – maybe Elena. Nothing more. They tied him to a chair with ropes. They had to know that this would not hold him forever. Maybe for awhile, in his staggered state. They added a human – not the owner, perhaps the other one that had attacked Jenna – with a stake held up against his chest. Eventually, they were going to use it – when they thought he was a threat, or not useful.

Damon decided to not act like a threat, and he decided to be useful.

With Damon secured, an interrogation of sorts began. They had heard him talk to the other vampire about Elena and they began to ask about her.

Since Damon was dazed – to some extent actually and to some extent pretending to be – they were doing lots of face slapping to try to get his attention or to get him to answer.

At first he intended to tell them that Elena had heard about the attack and left town. But Elena and the truth were connected – some kind of odd sibling relationship or something. She fought against the truth, she hid it, she denied it, but in the end, she was there right next to it, telling it and being supported by it. And the truth was, Elena would eventually come through the front door. It wouldn't matter if he was dead or alive, it wouldn't matter if she was alone or with others. She would come through just as soon as she could. Which meant that, even though she would be surrounded by her idiot protectors, who could not enter - she would be coming in alone. And she called them 'idiots'.

Knowing that, he confirmed his connection with her to his interrogators. He convinced them that she would come to them, as long as he was alive. And he pretended weakness while they only damaged his face. They did not interfere with the rest of him – which was recovering.

He knew that when she came through the door, alone, he would need to be fast. He would need to be by her side immediately.

* * *

How to React to the Truth?

Jenna was angry, scared and concerned. The anger came from the lies she had heard for so long from Elena, Alaric, Jeremy and the Salvatores. All this time she had been worried about Elena, trying everything she could think of to help. And nothing worked. But she had no idea about the situation.

She was scared because her home had been invaded. It didn't matter by who or what. She wasn't safe in Mystic Falls – something she never thought she would say.

And she was concerned for Elena. Bonnie had talked to Elena. Damon had called saying she would be back as soon as possible. But recently they had tried to call her and Damon. Both phones went unanswered. Damon's went straight to voicemail. Elena's rang but was not answered. Stefan had said she may have it on vibrate, but would only do that if she were afraid it would be heard by someone, actually a vampire, that she did not want to hear. He was afraid it meant she expected trouble.

At least he wasn't lying to her anymore - not that it helped.

Stefan had left the house to do a quick scan of the area – to see if vampires or basically anything he did not like was nearby.

Jenna managed to pull Alaric into a private area again.

"I don't know whether to kill you for keeping all of this from my or to thank you for helping keep Elena safe," she told him. "All I know is that I'm really angry about all of this. How could you keep this a secret. Not just from me, but from everybody? Everyone in town is in danger."

"They're in danger whether they know it or not, Jenna."

"And why wouldn't I tell them? The sheriff needs to know what she's dealing with."

"She already knows, Jenna. So does the town council. They know most of what you know and a lot you don't know. They know that since the town's founding, there have, from time to time, been vampires here. They know that a lot of townsmen have fought them, including the Gilberts. They know that nearly everyone in town was involved in the fight against vampires at first, but as it became less accepted, many forgot. But some remain in the know."

Jenna did not respond, so Alaric continued. "What they don't know right now is the who. They don 't know about Stefan and Damon. They don't know about Elena or Katherine. They think Damon fights the vampires with them – and they're right. He does. So do Stefan and Elena. They don't know they have unseen help, and some of that help is from vampires."

"But people could be killed. I was attacked by a vampire."

"People are killed by more than vampires, Jenna. You could have been attacked by anyone. What you need to remember, is that you were helped by vampires. You were protected by vampires. And those vampires were there because of Elena."

Jenna nodded, understanding. "I don't have any idea what to say to her. I want to confront her about lies, I want to yell at her for taking risks. I want to tell her what it was like to worry about her so much but not to know what she was facing. And I want to thank her for asking people to help me. I don't know what to think, say or do."

"Then wait until you do know," Alaric said. "Neither of you can change anything that's happened. She never meant to cause you or anyone else pain or worry. And she has helped to protect a lot of people, including Bonnie, you and Jeremy. Whatever you say won't undo the good she's done, and you wouldn't want to anyway. However, it might affect what she does in the future. Don't make it harder for her."

Stefan came in then with Jeremy.

"It's clear around here," Stefan said. "Should we try to find them?"

"Fine with me." Alaric said.

"Shouldn't we call the sheriff or someone?" Jenna asked.

Stefan shook his head. "Bonnie will find Elena. She's doing a locator spell now."

"Spell?" Jenna asked looking at Alaric.

"Oh, didn't we cover that? Bonnie is a witch."

* * *

Hiding the Truth

Neither Isobel nor Elena was satisfied. They had come up with a plan that they both accepted. Which meant that Elena thought it was too slow, too risky for Damon. Isobel thought it had a chance, a small chance, of keeping Elena alive even though she insisted on going into the house.

Elena was fingering the stake she held. She had another hidden in her jacket, easily accessible. She also had a knife hidden on her. She was fairly well armed – she could use those things. Just stab. She could do that.

The idiots, who had armed her, didn't have anything else she recognized or thought she could use. She would have to remember to get a couple of vervain darts from Alaric to keep on her for times like this. They would have worked well in this plan.

Elena watched as Isobel told the other vampires of the plan, showing them where they could be hidden, but available if needed. She was appreciating Isobel lately. They had started off badly. But Isobel had helped her more than once. She never acted motherly, but that was fine – Elena had a mother. Still she had come to trust Isobel. She had given good advice. And she had even made a pact with Katherine in exchange for Elena's safety.

Like mother, like daughter.

Isobel approached. "It's time. Are you ready?"

"My way was better," Elena said. "Just get in there and do something – anything. My heart's beating so fast now I'll probably die of a heart attack."

"With your way, you would already be dead. And a fast beating heart will work well for this."

Isobel offered her hand and Elena took it as readily as if it were Stefan's, or more recently, Damon's. They walked to the doorstep where Elena held her hands behind her as if she was handcuffed, holding the stake in one. Isobel grabbed Elena's arm with one hand, and used the other to ring the bell and knock on the door.

Elena put on her best "I am under compulsion" face.

It took longer than Elena hoped. She was afraid she would have to just walk through the door after all – but at least she was armed now.

"I have Elena Gilbert," Isobel said a couple of times between knocks. Finally the door opened. It was only one person – or vampire. Elena could not tell.

Isobel could. "I have Elena Gilbert. I will trade her for Damon."

The vampire stared at Elena for a minute before turning to Isobel and asking "Why?"

"I love him. He made me. And, she is a Gilbert."

"She is protected. How did you get her?"

"A trade? Yes or no?"

A commotion came from Isobel's other side – the side opposite Elena. Elena watched carefully as the vampires eyes were drawn to it. Then she struck at the vampire with the stake.

"If it works, it will work no matter where you hit him," Isobel had said. "Just get it into him."

She was right. The stake entered the vampire just above the waist. He reacted immediately, grabbing Elena and pulling her into the room – or really throwing her into the room.

But it had the desired effect. As his hand pulled Elena in and he twisted in reaction to the stake, part of him came out of the house, through the barrier. Isobel had him immediately, and she had help immediately. The vampire was off balance, and quickly pulled through the barrier and pounced upon.

Elena saw this as she went sideways through the air into the house with at least one vampire, one hostile human and Damon. Isobel had done what she could and now it was up to Elena.


	42. Not Losing Anyone Else

_I must apologize. The story so far has been reposting of the original chapters with very small changes. However, the original of this chapter forced me to change the rating of Jenna and the Choice to M, based on my understanding of the ratings here, because of the fairly graphic nature of one paragraph. To avoid that, I have re-written that part of the story so that the result is obvious, but that this story can maintain its current rating._

_If you would like to see the chapter in its original form, find the story Jenna and the Choice and go to chapter 5, which has the same name as this chapter._

_Oh, by the way, it was very nice to see the return of Isobel in the Vampire Diaries episode tonight. As you may be able to tell from what I do here, I like Isobel and think she can be so much more than what she was in the single episode we saw in season 1. Here's hoping for the best..._

_Oh yeah, the story. Almost forgot..._

The Choice

Elena knew she would hit a wall somewhere. She tried to turn herself so that her back would hit the wall she knew she was approaching. It worked fairly well.

Damon had heard the door open and Isobel speaking. The human guarding him was fairly good, at first, about keeping the stake pushed against his chest. So Damon tested his strength against the ropes. Not good. He was not as strong as he had hoped.

Then he saw Elena coming in and the vampire being pulled out. The human loosened his grip on the stake as he turned around to look. Damon was up, lifting the chair with him, and at the human's neck. He knew he could not spend much time, but the bites were quickly effective and the human was at least disabled, if not more.

Then Damon turned to Elena. She had hit the wall and was struggling to her feet while at the same time trying to pull a stake and a knife from her jacket. The remaining vampire, while starting near the door, was now moving towards her. Damon went, chair and all, to stop him. He did get between them, though he knocked Elena down with the chair before managing to turn it towards the attacking vampire. The chair was demolished in the collision, leaving Damon tangled in a mix of rope and wood splinters. He had kept the vampire from Elena, but he was having a hard time getting out of the mess. And the vampire was in full assault mode against him.

Elena struggled to get up again, watching Damon, relieved she was able to hold onto the stake and the knife.

She glanced away from him for a second to pull herself up. When she looked up, someone else was jumping at her. She raised one hand, not sure what it held. It was the stake – he had jumped right into it.

Elena realized immediately that it wasn't the vampire – it was still fighting Damon. And Damon was losing. The man fell to the floor on his back, struggling to pull the stake out.

Elena saw that Isobel and other vampires were at the door – trying to go through, but unable to enter. She kicked the stake in farther, knelt near his head and spoke to the man.

"Is this your house?"

When he did not answer, she yelled at the man. "Invite them in."

He ignored her and tried to pull the stake out.

Elena put the knife to his neck. "Invite them in now."

The man only shook his head and kept struggling.

Elena risked a glance to Damon again. She knew it wouldn't last much longer.

"Please don't make me do this. Invite them in."

He didn't respond, he just struggled against her.

* * *

Sometimes Cold, Sometimes Warm

Isobel pushed against the barrier, her eyes moving back and forth between Damon and Elena. She was frantic to get to her daughter, but it appeared impossible.

Damon was taking a beating, fading fast, and her daughter was threatening a man with a knife to his throat. She had done everything she could for Elena before letting her enter and it had gone better than she hoped, but it looked like it wouldn't matter.

She had quit looking at Damon and was just watching Elena, thinking this might be then end. She still pushed against the barrier though she had nearly given up any hope of entering the house.

But then Elena surprised her. Isobel watched, eyes fixed on the girl as she did the unexpected. She was so focused on her daughter that she fell into the house, hitting the floor before she could catch herself. Two vampires entered behind her and moved to help Damon. Isobel's eyes remained fixed on Elena.

She had to be careful to avoid the mess as she walked to her daughter who was curled up on the floor crying. The vampire lifted Elena and carried her to the couch, placed her in a sitting position, and sat next to her.

Elena's tears were nearly gone now. The girl rested her head on Isobel's lap. When she was done crying, her mother leaned in and whispered to her.

"You saved him Elena. He would have died if you hadn't."

Elena didn't respond.

"He saved Jenna and you saved him. You did what you had to do and he is alive because of it."

"Is he OK?" Elena managed to ask.

Isobel looked at Damon to confirm what she already knew. "He is. A little beat up, but he will be fine."

Elena sat up and looked at Isobel. "I can't believe I did that. Please, no one can know."

Isobel nodded. "I'll have to tell Katherine, and Damon will need to know. But no one else. Not from me."

Elena nodded and hugged her mother.

* * *

Beck and Call

"Your phone is vibrating," Isobel told Elena. Elena was standing next to Damon. He claimed to be as strong as ever – though his face did not show that. Still, some time had passed since his ordeal, maybe he was feeling better.

Elena pulled out the phone Katherine had given her.

"Not that one. The one you left in the car," Isobel said.

"Oh. Let it vibrate," Elena said. "Or you could take it for me and tell them to leave me alone."

"Why of course Elena." Isobel said, sarcastically. "I am most happy to assist you in any capacity."

Elena was stunned when Isobel actually did go to the car and answer her phone.

She had told Damon what had happened. He assured her she had only done what she had to do to save him – and herself. Like that helped.

Isobel brought Elena's phone back to her. "They are on their way here."

"Did you tell them where I am?" Elena asked her mother.

"No. A locator spell was performed."

Elena nodded.

"And you should know," Isobel continued, "that your aunt was told everything about you and us."

"What?" Elena asked - shocked.

"They thought they had to, Elena. She had seen so much when they were protecting her – taking her to safety."

Elena shook her head. This was too much. She spoke to Damon.

"Are you up to taking me somewhere? Somewhere we can have some privacy for awhile?"

Damon nodded.

"Will you stay here and tell them to leave me alone for awhile?" Elena asked Isobel. "No spells or calls. I will be home soon, but I need some space for a bit."

"At your beck and call," Isobel said. That was sarcastic – the rest was not. "We have some cleanup anyway. But you will have one unseen escort with you – more when we are done here."

Elena nodded. "OK. Thanks. Damon?"

* * *

Promises and Requests

Elena didn't know exactly where she was. Just that they had stopped and she and Damon were lying next to each other, talking. She was outside, it was daytime now. She thought she could do this forever.

"That was the man who shot me Elena, and Rick. He attacked Jenna. She would not have lived if he had his way. Others probably would have died. Others may have already – someone does not do that so easily the first time."

Elena hesitated before asking. "I asked Isobel to not tell anyone else – I mean other than you and Katherine. Would you do that for me as well, unless I ask?"

"Yes, Elena. I keep will keep this and any other secret for you."

Elena was going to tell him it was not a secret, but stopped herself. Actually, it was.

"What were you doing in there alone, Damon?" she asked. "Why didn't you wait for me as I asked. You know I will always go to you."

"And I will always try to be a step ahead of anyone trying to hurt you. That's what I was doing."

Elena shook her head and fingered the bracelet. "We're going to keep doing this forever, aren't we?"

"If you live that long," Damon agreed. "I'm not going to stop interfering with people trying to hurt you, and I hope you won't stop coming to me when I am in trouble."

"I'm not stopping." Elena said. She wanted to turn over and get some sleep, but there was music to be faced.

Elena fingered the bracelet again, thinking. Damon watched her briefly before speaking.

"Getting close to a decision?" He asked her.

"Yeah. Don't press it now though, please."

"Sure. Want to share why?"

"It's leaning so far in your favor, one little push or pull would topple it. But I'll have to think about Stefan before I decide, and I don't want to think about him now."

Damon nodded.

"Will you do one more thing for me Damon?" Elena asked after a brief pause.

"Since you saved me one more time, yes I will. What is it?"

"If I ask, will you use compulsion on Jenna – will you have her forget all of this – if I ask?"

"You have her on vervain, don't you?"

"She wears it, it can be removed. I couldn't get her to eat or drink any. She didn't like the taste."

"Will you give her a choice, Elena?"

"Yes. Will you do it if I ask?"

"Yes."

* * *

Music and Choices

Jenna was with Stefan when Damon brought Elena home.

"Elena, are you OK?" Jenna asked. "I was so worried."

"I'm fine Jenna," Elena responded. "Are you?"

"I am, thanks to these guys, and others."

"Yeah. Thank you Stefan," Elena said. "Thank you for keeping her and Jeremy safe. I owe you."

"You know I'd do anything for you, Elena," Stefan said.

"I do." Elena said, purposely keeping eye contact with him – which was broken off by Jenna.

"We need to talk, Elena." Jenna said. "Rick said I should wait until I have formulated questions, and I am not quite ready, but I will be soon."

"I will answer your questions, Jenna." Elena said, "but you need to know that you don't have to remember this."

Jenna did not understand. "What do you mean?"

"You can forget. You can go back to your life as it was a few days ago – no worry about vampires, no danger from them because of me. You can go back to believing they were fables. You can go back to fretting over me, Jeremy and Alaric Saltzman. Wouldn't you rather have that back?"

"Elena, no! I finally understand what you're going through, I can finally try to help you. And I need to protect you."

"I will protect you. And I promise I will let you help me. I will talk more to you, share more with you. Just not about this."

"I don't want that, Elena. I want you as you are." Jenna said, not knowing exactly what was happening, but concerned about it.

"And I want you as you were."

Stefan finally spoke. "Elena, she should have a choice. Why would you even consider this?"

"Because I've lost too much," Elena answered. "My parents are gone, my brother and best friend have been corrupted by this. I've even lost myself to this. She's all I have left of my old life. I'm not losing anymore. And she has a choice. She's just making the wrong one."

Stefan glared at Damon. "You would do this for her?"

Damon responded to Elena. "You said you would let her choose."

"I did. She chose wrong. Will you do it for me?"

"Elena, what is going on. What are you doing?" Jenna asked.

"Tomorrow." Damon said. "Elena, consider this carefully. Remember what happened with Jeremy. If you still want it, I will do it for you tomorrow."

Elena nodded and headed up the stairs, followed by a frantic Jenna

"You'll do anything for her," Stefan said to Damon. "no matter who gets hurt. Just like Katherine."

"Yeah," Damon responded. "Isobel warned me."

"Isobel?"

"Yes. I saw her during the Bonnie incident. She said Elena wanted the same things Katherine wanted at first – everyone happy no one to be upset or to get hurt. But she said that what Elena wants would change – Elena would change. Just like Katherine did. And she was right. And yes, I will do anything Elena asks me to – just like I will do whatever Katherine asks me to."

**End of Part VI - Jenna and the Choice. The Epilogue introduces Part VII**


	43. Epilogue Witch's Surprise

**Epilogue to Part VI - Witch's Surprise**

"Hi. Can we talk for a minute?"

Bonnie had just opened her door to Elena's knock. The visit was not expected, but it was Elena - she was welcome anytime.

Bonnie managed a smile and nodded her head towards the inside of her house.

"What's up?" Bonnie asked.

Elena took a deep breath. It had been hard when she told Jeremy, harder when she told Alaric. Now she had to explain to Bonnie that Jenna would not remember the incident at home or at Bonnie's house just a couple of days earlier.

Damon had made sure the needed repairs to the Gilbert house were done. Then he had done as she asked.

No one was taking it well. It seemed everyone's opinion of her was diminishing. Jeremy wasn't talking to her again. Alaric just nodded and invited her out. Stefan had barely acknowledged her the only time she had seen him since it had happened. Even Damon was more reserved, less open around her.

She felt completely alone. She almost wanted to do something reckless enough that she would be surrounded by the idiots again, something that would bring them close enough to her to be seen. She kind of wanted to see someone helping her, protecting her. And not judging her.

Worst of all, she wondered if everyone was right. Had she been selfish? Was she changing?

Of course she was. But she could choose the change. She could make it for the better. Was she changing for the better or the worse?

"You've been my friend forever, Bonnie. You help me, you celebrate with me. Sometimes you yell at me, but you care. At least that's always what I've thought. Am I wrong?"

"No. You're right."

"You need to know that I asked Damon to compel Jenna to forget about when she was attacked, brought here and learned about vampires and witches."

"You mean about vampires, witches and Elena."

"I do." Elena said nodding. "I couldn't bring her into this, Bonnie. Everyone else seems to think I did wrong, but I couldn't leave it like that. She's done too much for me, worried about me too much. I couldn't."

It wasn't quite the reason she had given Damon, but it was what she was wanting to believe.

"I understand, Elena."

Elena was surprised. "You do?"

"Yes." Bonnie said. "You're the only one who knows about me and my family. Well, you were, but now some of those that help you know. And if it weren't for you, I'd try to erase their knowledge about me. It's not safe for them or me."

"Exactly, the rest of us can help each other, protect each other. Jenna would be alone. Who knows what would happen?"

Bonnie nodded, hesitated, then looked at Elena and asked "Convince yourself yet?"

Elena stared at Bonnie for a minute, then shook her head. "I'll never know if I did the right thing. And I'm not sure anyone who knows will ever completely trust me again."

"Well, I never completely trusted you."

"Bonnie!"

"And you don't completely trust me Elena. Too many mistakes by both of us. Too much faith in the wrong people. You trust vampires too much and I fear them too much."

"Vampires do seem to be at the root of all the problems between us," Elena agreed.

"Now if we can just agree on a way to eliminate the problem," Bonnie said with a slight smile.

"Which is another reason I'm here. Not to eliminate the problem – but to affect it. Bonnie, would you put a spell on a vampire for me?"


	44. The Tip

**Part VII - Livin' the Life That She Chose**

All is Not as it Seems

"You want me to cast a spell on a vampire?" Bonnie asked dubiously.

Elena nodded.

"Damon or Stefan?"

"Yeah."

"Elena, I have an agreement with Katherine – an agreement to leave them alone. You know she'll kill me if I break it."

"I'm not asking you to hurt them Bonnie. Just help me understand them better."

Bonnie was confused. Then she felt something.

"Did you bring Damon here?" she asked Elena sharply.

Elena gasped at the sudden change in Bonnie. "No! He won't come with me, even when I ask."

"Well he's here now." Bonnie said, as Damon knocked on her door.

"I didn't. I promise. Do you want me to see what he wants?"

Bonnie nodded, glaring.

"OK. I'll be right back."

He had interrupted her asking for a favor, a favor it didn't look like she would get but Elena was not wasting this chance to talk to him. She hurried to the door and went through it, closing it behind her.

"Damon. Do you want to see Bonnie?"

Damon laughed. "You know better than that."

"I didn't think you were talking to me."

"Why would you think that?" the vampire asked.

"I haven't seen you as much as usual for the last couple of days. When I did see you, you hardly said anything. I've seen you like that before - when I said something that upset you."

"Elena…" Damon tried.

"No Damon. Let me finish. Everyone else is upset because of what I asked you to do to Jenna, and I understand that. I almost expected it. But not from you. You know what I had to do that day. You are the only one who knows everything that happened – the only one I trusted to know everything. If anyone would understand, I thought it would be you. But I don't see it."

Damon waited a second – he was letting her vent.

"You misunderstand, Elena. Maybe I was like you describe, but it wasn't about you. It was about me."

This was not what she wanted to hear. "The 'it's not you it's me speech?' What are you saying?"

"No Elena, not that either." Damon said quickly. "I'm saying it was hard for me to do that to Jenna. It's harder for me to do things like that now."

It took her a second, but Elena began to understand what he was saying. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in that position."

"No, Elena. I said I would do it and I did. It's just harder now."

"You're not upset with me? Everyone else is."

He shook his head. "No. I don't really understand all of your reasons, but I don't have to. I stepped up and faced my feelings about you long ago. I made promises to you, and one is I will tell you if I am upset at what you do. I won't make you guess."

Elena released a sigh of relief and hugged Damon. "Thank you. I need to know that you're still with me – that I'm not alone."

"I'm with you Elena, anywhere you go. Give or take in there." Damon said, nodding at Bonnie's house.

* * *

Favors From Old Loves

Katherine approached the boarding house slowly. She knew Stefan was in there, and he would know that she was reaching the door – if he was paying attention. Not very likely.

She knocked. She was here for a favor, and she was going to be polite about it.

Stefan came to the door and was surprised to see her. "Elena…"

Katherine shook her head. "Not Elena."

"Katherine" Stefan said as he realized it was her. She couldn't read his expression.

"Yes. Can I ask you something?"

Stefan hesitated, but motioned for her to come in.

"You got me into some trouble with Elena when we were last alone together."

Katherine smiled to herself. "Did I?"

"Yes. And I'm not sure I ever got out of it."

Katherine faced Stefan before sitting where he indicated. "I've been gone a long time, Stefan. If you're still in trouble with her, it's probably your own doing."

He sighed. "Yeah. Living in the mess I made." Stefan stared at her briefly. She looked so much like Elena, but was so different inside.

"What did you need?" he asked.

* * *

Keeping Secrets

It was close to the end of the summer. School would start again soon, which meant Alaric Saltzman was at the school, working when he saw her.

"Isobel."

"Hi Rick." Was she smiling – it was hard for him to tell.

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Did you come to see me?"

Isobel hesitated. She had hoped the pleasantries would last a little longer.

"Katherine asked me to check into something with you."

"I don't work for Katherine."

Isobel actually winced. "I know, Rick. It's just that Elena told me you have vervain darts that can take down a vampire. Can you tell me how many you have?"

"Why?"

"Please Rick. How many?"

"Right now – ten."

Isobel closed her eyes. "Not enough. Can you make more?"

"Yes. Why would you want them. I use them against people like you."

"We would use them to protect Elena, Rick. Something you approve of."

Alaric shook his head. "She is not on the top of my list to help right now. She told me what she did."

Isobel was stunned. Elena had asked her to keep it a secret.

"She had to, Rick. It was self-defense. She did what she had to do to keep herself and Damon alive."

It was Alaric's turn to be confused. "And how was having Damon erase Jenna's memory of vampires self-defense? How did it keep Damon and Elena alive?"

Isobel closed her eyes and exhaled. This was not going as she had hoped at all. Alaric was cold, not willing to help her with the vervain darts, and she had just broken her promise to Elena.

"Isobel," Alaric said. "Exactly what did Elena do?"

* * *

Interruptions

Katherine's phone interrupted her conversation with Stefan. She looked at the screen to see who was calling and then back at him as she stood up to take it. She couldn't tell how he was taking what she was asking of him.

She was back before he had blinked

"Stefan, we need to go now!" Katherine said it as she grabbed one of his arms and pulled him to the door.

"Katherine, what?" He wasn't really resisting.

"No time, Stefan. Now!"

* * *

Back to the Hell House

Damon was fairly far from Bonnie's house, having left Elena to return to her discussion with Bonnie. He had arranged to meet her later in the day before he let her go back into the house he hated so much.

Damon's phone rang. He was surprised as he checked the caller before answering.

"Katherine?" Damon asked.

"Where is Elena?" Katherine asked. "Is she with you?"

"No. Bonnie's house."

"Go to her Damon and stay with her. I'll send others to the Bennett house as well. OK?"

"On my way," Damon said. "Is there a problem?"

But Katherine was gone.

* * *

911

Stefan let Katherine pull him through the door and into the daylight. He only resisted when he smelled something.

"Is that smoke coming from my house?" he asked, pulling away from her. "We need to go back."

"No, Stefan." Katherine said. "No time."

"But," he tried again.

Katherine was pulling him again. "Call 911 – the fire department. And the sheriff too, if you think she can handle it. But we need to move."

* * *

Unwelcome

Elena felt much better after her conversation with Damon, but she wasn't quite ready to give up on the spell yet. Bonnie was having none of it.

"Why don't you just talk to them, ask them?"

"I need to be sure, Bonnie," Elena replied.

"You can't keep doing this, Elena. You can't use magic or compulsion as a crutch to avoid facing what's hard. And you have to bring me or Damon into it."

Elena was in denial "That's not what I'm doing…"

She was interrupted by a loud knock on the door and by a startled Bonnie.

"Elena – there are vampires around my house."

"Who's at the door?" She asked.

"Damon." Bonnie said, rising and going there followed by Elena.

"I need to come in." Damon said as soon as the door was open.

"Get these vampires away from my house." Bonnie demanded as she glared at Damon.

"They won't go away unless I am in there with Elena."

"No!" Bonnie said.

"Damon, what's going on?" Elena asked.

"Katherine wants a vampire inside with you. Otherwise, they stay right by the house out here."

"Why?" Bonnie asked.

"The vampires out here tell me she got a tip. Someone's coming for Elena."

"I'll go outside Damon," the human offered. "We don't have to bring Bonnie into this."

"No. You're safer in the house than anywhere outside. But Katherine wants a vampire inside waiting with you, or the others will be right next to the house. And more are coming. Do you see Bonnie?"

Bonnie did. There were four besides Damon when he knocked, there were six now.

"Isobel." the witch decided. "I'll let Isobel come in to be with Elena."

Elena was confused. Damon just glared.

"She's with Rick and they're busy. She can't come. It has to be me."

"Bonnie, he won't do anything," Elena was almost pleading.

"I can't trust him Elena."

"You know he'll do what I ask him to." Elena said. "And I am asking him to do nothing in your house except protect me. That's all he will do – right Damon?" Elena asked, looking directly at him.

Damon nodded.

Bonnie noticed that another vampire had arrived. She spat the words, more than said them. "Come in, Damon."


	45. If We Live, Now You Know

What Vampires Fear

"I had no idea," Alaric said. "Maybe I can understand what she was thinking when she did what she did to Jenna."

Isobel had told Alaric everything she knew about the day before Elena had Damon erase Jenna's memory.

"She only did what she had to, Rick. She always does what she has to. It's why others are starting to fear her."

"Others? What do you mean?"

"Other vampires – those that aren't Salvatores or connected to Katherine."

"Other vampires fear Elena?"

The vampire nodded. "It may not be on CNN, but word gets around. They know what happened on Founder's Day here."

"That wasn't Elena," Alaric countered.

"It was a Gilbert, along with a few other Mystic Falls families. They know that. And they know the name Elena Gilbert."

"But she's your daughter, not really a Gilbert."

"She is a Gilbert and she acts like it, as far as keeping vampires out of the town. They also know she has started working for or with Katherine. Most of the vampires that know of Katherine really hate and fear her. And now, this Gilbert – a name they know, fear and hate, starts working with Katherine, who they know, fear and hate. Do you see where this is going?"

Alaric did.

"Then they hear that vampires are starting to die around Elena."

"Not just her," Alaric objected. "You were there sometimes, so was I."

"Sometimes you, sometimes me, different people or vampires around her. But she was always there. She is the constant. They're not stupid enough to miss it."

"So, what does it mean?"

"And," Isobel continued, "they hear that several parties have tried to take her out. Just vampires, or very recently, vampires working with humans. And anyone that has tried, vampire or human, has ended up dead."

"OK, so…?"

"So there are some who would raze the town to take out Elena. Or Katherine. But they can't get to Katherine and they know that Elena works for Katherine – getting her would get Katherine."

Alaric just stared, waiting for her to continue.

"We hear things too, Rick. And we've heard that someone is raising a band of vampires to do just that. We're trying to get ready for it. Katherine is talking to Stefan now, finding out what he's willing to do. And I'm talking to you, seeing if you're willing to help us. Are you?"

* * *

The Most Vulnerable 

Jeremy and Jenna were watching TV when she thought she smelled something. She looked out a window and saw someone who looked like they were trying to start a fire.

Jenna opened the window and yelled at the man "Hey. What are you doing?"

Jeremy was up and recognized what he was.

"Come away from the window, Jenna."

"I'm calling someone," she said, heading for the phone.

"No, let me," Jeremy said. He pulled out his phone and called Elena. Looking out the widows he could see there were three. All looked like they were doing the same thing.

"Jeremy?" Elena asked as she answered.

"Elena, I think there are vampires here."

Jenna was looking out the window. "Elena? You're calling Elena?"

"What?" Elena asked.

Jeremy heard an audible gasp from Jenna. He went to the window to see what she was watching. Stefan and two other vampires were attacking those trying to start fires.

Jenna heard Elena's voice behind her, "She shouldn't be watching this, Jeremy."

They both turned around.

"Elena?" Jeremy asked.

"Jer, please talk to me." Elena said from the phone.

"Hello again Jeremy. Come away from the windows, please."

Jeremy disconnected the cell phone and turned it off.

"Elena," Jenna said, "they're trying to start a fire."

"I know. But they won't."

"Katherine?" Jeremy asked.

Katherine nodded. "We'll need to get you someplace safe."

"What do you mean?" Jenna asked.

Stefan entered. Another vampire was visible on the doorstep

"She means they might come back." Stefan said. "But someone will stay here and try to stop them. Will you come with me? I'll take you someplace safe until this is done."

Jenna looked at Jeremy who nodded.

"Will you call for some help?" she asked Stefan.

"Yes. Your home will be fine."

Jenna nodded and went to Stefan.

Katherine spoke now. "Marcus is at the doorstep, Jeremy. He will carry you. Is that all right?"

Jeremy nodded. "What's happening? Where is Elena?"

"She's with Bonnie. I will call her and let her know you are being taken to safety."

"Are we going to Bonnie's house?"

"No, Jeremy. You and Elena may both be targets. You'll be in different places."

"Targets?" Jeremy asked.

"Marcus and Stefan will do everything they can to keep you safe. But Jeremy, you should know that Jenna is the vulnerable one. If anything attacks and gets through, it will get through to you."

"And we'll find out if this ring really works."

"It worked for John Gilbert. The other worked for Alaric Saltzman – which, I am told you witnessed."

"Seeing and experiencing are different, " Jeremy said as he walked to Stefan and the one she called Marcus.

Katherine watched as Stefan convinced Jenna to allow him to lift her, and as the vampires carried the humans away in a blur.

* * *

Different From What Was Imagined

Elena was frantic. Jeremy's phone was gone – no answer. She had pulled out the phone Katherine had given her, wondering if this was danger enough to keep her out of trouble.

Then it rang.

"Katherine?" Elena asked.

"Are you with Damon, Elena?"

"Yes."

"Stay with him. Do as he asks. Ask him how many vampires are near the house."

"Damon," Elena said, catching his attention. "How many vampires are around the house? Katherine wants to know."

"Twelve."

"He says twelve," Elena repeated into the phone.

"Then that's all. And two or three may leave."

"What's going on? Jeremy called, but we were cut off."

"I know Elena," Katherine tried to reassure her. "He is with Stefan, Jenna and one of my vampires. They are being taken to safety."

"Was my house attacked again?"

"Yes, but the attackers have been destroyed. One of my guys will stay here to keep anything else from happening."

"Why are they doing this?"

"They're looking for you, Elena. Stay there with Damon. With Bonnie's house protected, with Damon and the others outside, nothing should get to you. I'll call you soon to let you know what to do next."

Katherine disconnected before Elena could speak again.

Damon could see that Elena was upset. "What did she say" Damon asked.

"Vampires at my house. Stefan and one of her idiots are taking Jenna and Jeremy to safety."

"Then she was right. Someone's coming for you." Damon regretted saying it immediately. Elena looked afraid – a look he couldn't remember ever seeing on her.

"She's never had so many idiots with me. She's telling me to stay with you and Bonnie. She's really worried about this."

"You are too," Damon said. "But we've stopped everything else. We'll stop this."

"But if they get through…"

"They won't, Elena. Not while I'm alive."

"We could both be dead tomorrow, or tonight." Elena shook her head and decided to tell him. He had to know. She couldn't take a chance that it would end without him knowing.

"The bracelet stays," Elena said.

"What?" Damon asked.

Elena held up the wrist with the bracelet. "The bracelet stays. You win the prize, if she lives through this."

Damon hesitated a second as he realized what she was saying. "Oh. Sweet!"

Elena watched him for a few seconds, waiting for a reaction that didn't come.

"Oh? Sweet?" she finally asked. She was almost glaring at him now. "That's it?"

Bonnie came in. "Couldn't help overhearing. Let me be the first to congratulate you. My best friend and my new…uh…"

"Best friend-in-law." Damon said, smirking at her.

"God, I imagined this moment differently," Elena muttered to herself.

* * *

We Don't Hug

Alaric was with Isobel, having shown her the vervain darts, making more, when her phone rang. She left the room to take the call.

When she returned, she was visibly agitated.

"Rick, its going down now. The Salvatore house was on fire and they tried to set one at the Gilbert house. Elena's holed up at the Bennett house."

"You sounded like you were just starting to get ready."

"Katherine thought we had more time. Not everything is in place for this. And the best part is, you're a target."

"So I'd better finish these. We could have company any time."

"Oh we will have company," Isobel said. "Two of Katherine's vampires are coming to join us."

"Well I hope you can tell hers from the bad guys. I won't be able to."

"Sure you can Rick. We're not into hugging. If one jumps at me or you, shoot it with one of your darts."


	46. Fights, Pleas and Choices

Alive for the Fight

Jeremy had no idea where they were when they stopped. There were deep in the woods somewhere, but he had kept his eyes closed almost the entire time. Marcus put him down and was off. Jeremy ran to Stefan's side as he carefully laid Jenna down.

"Where are we?" he asked Stefan.

"North and a little East of town. From what Katherine's people were telling her, this is the opposite of the direction the trouble was coming from."

Jeremy nodded and pointed at Jenna. "How is she?"

"I don't know. She hasn't said anything."

Jeremy stared at his aunt. Her eyes were opening, but she didn't move otherwise.

"Where's Marcus?" he asked Stefan as he sat next to Jenna.

"Making sure there is no danger here. He's eager to get back to where Katherine is."

"They looked like they would do anything to protect Elena. Same with Katherine, I guess."

"Yeah." Stefan said. He was facing away from Jenna and Jeremy.

"And you?" Jeremy asked. "Are you loyal to Katherine?"

"Love and hate, Jeremy. Like you and Elena."

Jenna was trying to sit up now.

"Will this bring back the memory of what Damon erased?" Jeremy asked Stefan as he helped Jenna.

Stefan went to her other side to help. "I don't know. But if it does, there's going to be a fight. And I want to be there."

"Oh?" Jeremy asked. "Who would you root for?"

"Don't know yet. Let's just keep them both alive long enough for the fight to begin."

* * *

Vampires, Witches and Idiots

Elena didn't know how to act now. Something would have to change between her and Damon, something just to show that they were official. She had no idea what.

At least, for now, she could blame it on being afraid.

She looked at him as he looked at her. He was smiling, no sign of the fear she felt. Calm, so sure everything would be fine. She couldn't decide if it was comforting or maddening.

And there she sat, staring, wondering what to do. She was rescued by Bonnie.

"Elena, come and see the TV."

She and Damon were up instantly. He took her hand as they went, which caused her to smile. At least he knew what to do.

"What is it?" she asked Bonnie.

Bonnie just pointed. Several burning buildings in Mystic Falls, supposedly arson.

Elena stared at the TV for a minute before she could force herself to voice her question.

"Do you think that's because of me?"

Damon and Bonnie both wanted to assure her it wasn't, but neither spoke.

"We need to leave – get out of town."

"You know what Katherine said, Elena." Damon reminded her.

"I know. But it wasn't an assignment, it was her trying to keep me safe. And now I have to leave to keep Mystic Falls safe. I'm sure she'll understand."

"You going to ask her first?" Damon asked.

"I'm only allowed to use the phone when I'm in danger. Right now I'm surrounded by vampires, witches and idiots. I'm not the one in danger."

"Does she know what you call her helpers?" Bonnie asked.

* * *

Will the Fear Never End?

Alaric watched as Isobel removed a dart from a vampire, and then took the steps needed to kill it.

"I don't know what games you've been playing while I've been away, Rick," Isobel said as she handed him the dart before moving to another downed vampire, "but I'm impressed. I'd like in on this sometime."

"Do you prefer hunter or prey?" Alaric asked. She wasn't the old Isobel he wanted so much, but right now, she would do as is.

"With you? I'll play from either side."

Isobel handed him another two darts. She had destroyed one of them, but left the other.

"You forgot one," Alaric said.

"Oh. He's one of ours. I assume he'll be fine in a minute?"

"Sorry. About 10 or 15 minutes. But weren't two supposed to come?"

"Not from the same place. I think Katherine is spread pretty thin. Hopefully, the other will be here in a minute."

She had just finished speaking when the other vampire arrived. Alaric watched Isobel talk to him. The vampire picked up the one hit by mistake as Isobel spoke to Alaric.

"We're done here, aren't we? We should get moving."

"We are, but we can't just leave these bodies here," Alaric said as he followed Isobel to the outside.

"Call your Founder's Council to take care of it. They can do that, right?"

They both stopped short and gasped when they reached the outside. Three or four plumes of smoke were easily seen rising into the air.

"You weren't kidding when you said they would destroy the town to get to Elena," Alaric said.

"No. And we'd better find her before they do."

"Didn't you say she was at the Bennett house?"

"I did, and I'm sure she was. But one of the really scary things about Elena – no matter whose side you're on – is that she is rarely where she is supposed to be."

* * *

The Plea and The Price

Katherine was still at Elena's house, talking on her phone. She knew she had made a mistake – she had mistimed the attack and underestimated their strength. Another mistake with Elena, so she was doing what she had to.

"I know I am already in your debt, but you know that neither that one nor this one will go unpaid."

"I know. This is the Elena Gilbert I've heard of?"

"Yes," Katherine replied.

"And you trust her completely?"

"I trust her to do whatever I ask her to do, and to do anything she can to protect me."

"But I hear she is human, and yet so loyal to you?"

"She is human, and loyal," Katherine affirmed.

The phone was silent for a minute before he spoke again.

"Then I have something she could do for me. If you would loan her to me for a short time, both debts would be paid."

Not really a surprise. Katherine hesitated before asking "Would you protect her as I do?"

"If you loan her to me, I will make any arrangements you ask of me."

Katherine was relieved. "So help me keep her alive. I'm sure we'll be able to come to an agreement then."

"Some of mine are very close to you. They are at your service. They will be with you shortly. Others will leave now and arrive a little later, if needed."

"Thank you, Nathaniel."

* * *

Living the Life She Chooses

"Some of Katherine's vampires have left, Elena." Damon told her. "There's only eight now."

"Does that mean the danger is less?" Elena asked.

"It probably means she doesn't have enough here to do everything she wants."

"Then we need to go. We're turning into sitting ducks."

"Elena," Bonnie said, "if we leave, I'm not sure how much help I can be. I'm not sure I would be able to tell the city-burning vamps form the at-least-leaving-me-alone vamps."

Damon turned on Bonnie sharply. "Here's a clue. If they make any move towards Elena other than a protective one, take them out."

Bonnie glared back. "That much I know. I might want to do something before they get to her."

"Stop it!" Elena yelled at them. They did.

Elena sat in silence with them only briefly. "We've got to leave, and we've got to be seen by them, so they leave the town alone."

"You want us to go slow?" Damon asked. "Perhaps Bonnie has a spell that will burn targets onto our backs – just to be sure they don't miss us."

"Not helping Damon. I've got to do something. It will be dark soon and…" Elena shook her head and hit her forehead with her palm.

"They're setting fires in the daylight. From what Katherine said, they're not human. They must have a witch helping them."

Damon and Elena both looked at Bonnie.

"Not me!" Bonnie exclaimed. "All witches aren't good."

"Some would say no witch is good," Damon said.

"Best friend-in-law? More like worst enemy-in-law," Bonnie muttered.

"Stop it, both of you. That was a short honeymoon - and it wasn't even mine."

That made Bonnie laugh, Damon tried hard not to.

Now Elena was the one who was upset. "We need to get going."

"Where?" Damon asked. "Please tell me you know."

"Nope. Get used to it."

Damon shook her head as Bonnie laughed, then spoke to him.

"She told me that the bracelet meant you chose her. And I saw her choose you. You're in Damon."

"Yes I am." Damon confirmed. "I used to live the life I chose. Now I'm living the life she chooses."


	47. Luck, Good and Bad

Lucky Idiot

Elena was watching Damon talk to one of the idiots. As much as she tried to convince him that the direction didn't matter – that they just needed to leave town - he wasn't buying.

She shook her head and turned to Bonnie. "Too long. Can you see anything?"

"Not really, though I don't know what to look for."

"We've got to get moving." Elena said.

"Relax, Elena. He's just being careful – probably a good idea if what you think is happening is true."

"I'm just afraid someone will figure out we've left and try to follow."

"A minute ago you said we want to be followed."

"I just don't want anyone to try to keep us here. If Katherine's at my house, she could come here next."

Bonnie's eyes moved to follow Damon as he returned to them. "Well one way or another, sooner or later, she's going to end up where we are. And she won't like us leaving."

Elena turned to Damon. "Well?"

"He says Katherine thinks they're coming from the Southwest. I suggest we go to the Northeast. And there was a fire in that direction, so it may get us noticed, if that's what you really want."

"Fine." Elena said.

"They're really upset that we're leaving the house. They're not going to give us much room as we move."

"But they'll let us go and move with us, right?"

The vampire nodded. "They know you're not their prisoner. One will stay here. But the others will go with us, yes."

"Seven with us then," Elena calculated.

"Six," Damon corrected. "Another was called away."

Elena turned to Bonnie. "They'll be close Bonnie. Will that bother you?"

"Yes. But not as close as Damon."

"What?" Damon asked.

Bonnie spoke to Elena. "He's carrying both of us, right?"

"No," Damon said. "Find your own ride."

"Look, I know you're all big and bad and 'whoever gets to Elena has to go through me and no one is going through me'. I get it. But if something does get through you, I'm going to be right next to her. I have promises to keep. You'll have to take us both, or she rides with whoever takes me."

Damon looked at Elena for support.

"Just do it. We need to get out of here. I know it will slow you down, but it worked OK the last time."

Elena moved to where Damon could pick her up.

"Last time?" he asked.

"In the woods. Now kneel down and let her climb onto your back."

"Who was the lucky guy?" he asked as she did.

"Just some idiot." Then Elena realized just where she was – and what was lacking from the whole telling Damon her decision thing. "About time you took me into your arms. You're cue was when I first told you I would keep the bracelet." Then she kissed him.

"Seriously?" came a sharp reprimand from Damon's back.

"World's ending Bonnie. Grab a guy and kiss him. Don't let the moment slip by." She did it again.

"One more time and I'll cast a spell and zap him. I thought you were in a hurry."

Elena sighed. "Yeah. Northeast past the fire please, Damon"

* * *

Unanswered Questions

Stefan was standing near Jenna and Jeremy, waiting for Marcus, wondering how they would fare when the darkness came. He was startled when Marcus appeared next to him suddenly.

"We need to get them further in - farther from town," he said.

"Farther? Why. I thought they were Southwest of town."

"They were, or that's what we were told. But they, or at least some of them, have circled around and are getting close to us."

Jenna and Jeremy had seen that Marcus was back and talking to Stefan, so they went to them.

"How many?" Stefan asked.

"More than four," Marcus said. "Or do only two of us count?"

"Just two."

"At least they're staying in the woods," Marcus said. "The sun is on our side for now."

"We have to move again," Stefan told Jenna.

"What is going on? They didn't start a fire. Surely they've been caught by now." Jenna was frustrated from being pulled from her home, her questions ignored for so long, and being worried about Elena. And, though she didn't understand it, she knew what was coming. Being carried by Stefan, feeling the movement of the air, daring to open her eyes briefly sometimes, and feeling sick.

"They're gone, Jenna," Stefan said as he lifted her. "But they had friends. We need to move again."

Jenna closed her eyes and thought, again, that she was putting too much trust in Stefan. But there were no alternatives she could see.

* * *

The Darts

Alaric, Isobel and two other vampires arrived at the Bennett house.

"I thought security would be better," Alaric said as they reached the doorstep. "Shouldn't there be someone around Elena."

"A lot of someones," Isobel replied, "which means she's probably not here."

"Nobody's outside guarding or whatever?"

"One," Isobel said. "I know him. I'm sure that's why we reached the doorstep unchallenged."

Alaric opened the door and started to enter. He turned around when Isobel didn't follow.

"Aren't you coming in? You've been inside before, so I know you were invited."

"No. I promised her I would not return without her inviting me again, and I've broken enough promises today. I'll talk to the vampire they left behind."

Alaric nodded and entered. No one was inside, but nothing seemed amiss. They hadn't been attacked or forced to leave suddenly. Wherever they were going, it seemed to be willingly. He returned to the front door and found Isobel waiting for him again.

"No signs of trouble or fighting in there," Alaric said.

"I was told they were planning to leave town to try to draw whoever is setting fires after them. And I know whose idiotic idea that was. Typical Elena."

"Does he know where they went?" Alaric asked.

"He said Northeast."

"Then we aren't following because…?"

"Katherine's on her way here – to join us. Then I'm sure you'll get all the following you can handle."

Alaric nodded and prepared himself to wait when he was startled by Isobel.

"Rick!" she said pointing. "That vampire's not one of Katherine's."

Alaric quickly raised his weapon and fired a dart. The vampire collapsed and was immediately surrounded by Isobel and the two with her. Isobel held a stake ready.

"No!" she heard from behind. "He's with us!"

Katherine was instantly by her and over the fallen vampire, along with several others Isobel didn't know. "Is that the dart at work?"

"Yes..." Isobel replied tentatively.

"Can it be safely removed?"

Isobel reached down and pulled the dart out. "He'll be fine in about ten minutes."

"Let's go talk to your marksman. We need to let him know who's who."

"And me," Isobel said as she followed Katherine to Alaric. "He looked like a threat to me."

"Mr. Saltzman, we meet again," Katherine greeted Alaric. "That was the darts in action? Quite impressive."

"Do I need to apologize?" Alaric asked.

"No. Hopefully he'll tell Nathaniel what happened. How he was taken down so easily, but left to recover. It's best if Nathaniel and his have reasons to be careful should they find themselves here."

"Nathaniel," Isobel repeated. "I don't recognize anyone with you."

"No. Mine are chasing fires, watching certain houses, or with Elena – going Northeast, I'm told. We'll follow as soon as he recovers."

Katherine moved away from the others to answer her ringing phone.

Appearing calm until then, she was agitated when she returned. "Isobel, take two of Nathaniel's and find Elena now. They cannot leave town in that direction. Some of the enemy have apparently circled around to that side."

Isobel nodded and pulled two strangers with her as she left.

"What will we do?" Alaric asked.

"Wait for him to recover," Katherine replied, "gather more information. See what Isobel finds. Are your darts ready to go?"

"They are."

"Good. You will hit whatever I ask you to won't you?"

* * *

Fires, Vamps and Chants

"Stop, Damon," Elena said. "Let me down."

Damon let Bonnie drop off as he placed Elena carefully down.

"Is this where the fire was?" Elena asked.

"Looks like it." Damon said.

Elena looked at the six other vampires that surrounded her. They did not act alarmed.

"Has anyone even noticed us? Are we being followed or anything?"

"Not that I can tell," Damon answered. "Do you want me to check the building closer, see if I find anything?"

"Please – just for a second. I can't believe we haven't seen anything."

"I don't see anymore smoke – here or anywhere else," Damon said. "Maybe it's under control after all."

Elena nodded as he moved to the other side of the building.

A phone rang – Katherine's. Elena shook her head as she answered it.

"Hello?"

"Wherever you are, stop now! What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Elena shook her head. "Getting yelled at?"

"Oh, then your brain is working. Surely you can get it to bring you back here now."

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't let them burn the town down because of me. I had to leave – get them to follow me."

"Elena, are you in our outside of town?"

"In," Elena confessed.

"Stay in. They are outside of town in the direction you're going."

"What? We were told…."

"I know, Elena. Stay in. Come back to Bonnie's. They're closer to you than I am now."

The vampires surrounding Elena closed in and became agitated as three large vans came to a stop near them. She didn't know how many the vans could hold, but she could see the two in the front of each van.

"Yeah," She said to Katherine. "So I see."

"Vampires," Bonnie said as she began to chant.


	48. Forward the Light Brigade

Must Not Know About Her

"Elena, what's going on?"

Elena wasn't talking enough for Katherine, but she didn't want to interfere with Bonnie's spell. She lowered her voice, turned away from Bonnie and finally spoke into the phone.

"Bonnie has cast a protection spell. The vans are just parked. We can see the drivers looking at us, but nothing else."

"Is Isobel with you?" Katherine asked.

"Isobel? No." Elena looked in all directions and corrected herself.

"Wait, she is here. She's just outside the protected area. She won't be able to come close until Bonnie stops the spell."

"Well, at least Damon is with you," Katherine said.

Elena looked around again. He was there, outside the spell, moving towards Isobel.

"No, he's outside too. But he's going towards Isobel."

"You are inside a witches spell with your protection outside? Elena!"

"No!" Elena quickly retorted, "the idi…I mean the ones you sent with me are inside with me."

Before she could respond, Elena tried to change the subject.

"I don't think they're going to attack," Elena said. "I think they're just watching us."

"Maybe," Katherine said. "Maybe the fires were to draw you out into the open. Now they just wait for sundown when they are at full strength to attack you."

"Then I need to lead them out of town."

"No Elena, you need to return to the Bennett house."

"But they'll…"

Katherine cut her off. "Elena, have the vans or the vampires in them moved yet?"

"No."

"Drop the spell. She can pick it back up if needed, can't she?"

"I guess," Elena replied.

"Drop the spell. Let me talk to Isobel."

Elena sighed and turned back to Bonnie. She was concentrating. Elena touched her arm to get her attention before speaking.

"Bonnie. Drop the spell for now, unless they attack or something. But we think they won't do that until sunset."

"Sunset?" Bonnie asked. "You mean it wasn't my spell making them keep their distance?"

"I'm not sure, but Katherine thinks not. We need to let Damon and Isobel in anyway."

Bonnie nodded and let the spell go. She started stretching as if she had been cramped up for awhile.

Damon was next to Elena immediately. Isobel and the vampires with her circled from behind Elena to her side. She didn't try to pass through Katherine's protection to Elena until she had spoken to the two outsiders with her.

"They won't let you through to her. Wait for me here?"

The vampires nodded and Isobel joined Elena who was just releasing a hug with Damon.

"Thank you, Elena. You're making it hard for me to get to you."

"Katherine wants to talk to you." Elena said, giving her the phone. Then she turned to Damon.

"See anything?"

"Not really," Damon replied. "There was a fire there, but it didn't last long. I don't know if whoever started it left and it was put out, or if they put it out before they left. Some damage, but no bodies I could find."

Elena nodded and watched Isobel go to the vampires that had arrived with her.

"Are they with you?" Isobel asked, pointing towards the vans.

The vampires just shook there heads.

"Not his," Isobel said into the phone. "But Elena's right. They haven't moved. They probably were just finding her and, now that they have, are waiting until sundown."

Isobel was next to Elena now and handed her the phone. "It's for you."

Elena scowled at her as she took it. "Yes?"

"Elena, how many are with you now?" Katherine asked.

Elena glanced around as she answered. "Damon, Bonnie, Isobel, two that came with her, and six more."

"Then I've lost contact with a couple of mine. I need to check on them. Elena, come back to the Bennett house now."

"But…"

"Elena, come back to the Bennett house now. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Elena said.

"Good. See you soon," Katherine said as she disconnected.

Isobel turned around and said, "Let's go."

She had to turn back to Elena who had not moved. She looked like she was thinking.

"This is the part where you quickly obey." Isobel said.

Bonnie laughed and said "Then you don't know about her."

Elena spoke to Isobel. "I can't leave them in town. How many vampires are in those vans?"

"I would guess 15 each." Damon said.

"No. We're getting them out of town before sunset." Elena said.

* * *

The Back, Please

"I need to check some things," Katherine told Alaric. "I'd like you and your darts to come with me. Are you willing?"

Alaric nodded. "We'll go at a leisurely stroll, right? That's what I can manage."

Katherine motioned to a vampire who joined them. "He will carry you. You can be cradled like a baby or a bride, or you can ride piggy-back."

"I'll just go on the back," Alaric said, moving behind the vampire.

"As you wish. Are you ready?"

Alaric grasped his darts firmly and nodded.

He quickly learned that his eyes were best kept closed as he tried to hold on to one of a number of vampires who were following Katherine.

* * *

Pushing Buttons

"We'll go slow at first to make sure they follow us," Elena said. "Once we're sure, lets go fairly fast. And we'll stay on the roads until we're out of town for a ways, then go off road and as fast as possible."

"Elena," Isobel argued, "You will be putting the enemy between us and Katherine. She won't be able to get to us to help."

"She'll be able to find us. And I think she has her hands full anyway – she thinks she's lost some of her vampires. Plus we have Bonnie."

Bonnie and Damon just watched their argument. They wondered why Isobel even kept it up. Elena would win eventually.

"Can we go East?" Elena asked Damon.

"Better than Northeast if they're waiting for us in that direction." Damon said.

"We don't know where they are or how many they are." Isobel said.

"And we don't know who they are," Elena said. "But we know where the people of Mystic Falls are, and we are going to be somewhere else."

Then Elena turned to Bonnie.

"We'll need to be able to go as fast as possible Bonnie. I know you want to ride with me, but we'll be much faster if you go with Isobel. She'll be able to keep up with Damon and I promise she will stay right beside me whenever we're moving."

Bonnie grimaced. "You're pushing every button I have today, Elena. You know about her and me."

Elena nodded. "Yes. But it's the best way for us to be fast and for you to stay with me. OK?"

"Yes." Bonnie said, looking at Isobel who was not happy, but had given up the argument.

"Then let's get going." Elena. She was again in Damon's arms as the group began moving - slowly.

* * *

Please, Not Again

Jeremy left Jenna and walked the few steps to Stefan who was standing still, looking in the direction that Marcus had gone.

"Can we call Elena? Jenna is worried sick and won't calm down until we can talk to her."

Stefan understood. "I just don't know where the enemy is right now."

"We really need this Stefan. I don't know if she'll stay with us if we don't."

"Fine, but make it short. Do you want me to call her?"

"No." Jeremy replied. "I'll call – she always takes my call. And I'll keep it short."

Jeremy sat next to Jenna as he made the call. "He said yes, but we need to make it short."

Jenna breathed a sigh of relief. "Just so I can talk to her."

Jeremy nodded as he listened to Elena's phone ringing.

"Jeremy?" Elena answered. "Are you OK?"

"Yes. You?"

"Fine." Elena said. "Where are you?"

"Say hi to Jenna first." Jeremy said as he passed the phone

"Elena," Jenna said.

"I'm here," Elena replied tentatively. She didn't know what to expect.

"We have some things to discuss."

Elena waited a second to let her finish. She said no more.

"Now is not the best time."

"I know. Just get yourself back to me in one piece," Jenna said as she gave the phone back to Jeremy.

"Elena?"

"She's upset. Is she remembering?"

"Oh yeah. Please don't mess with her memory again. And we're in the woods, supposedly Northeast of town."

"Who's with you?" Elena asked.

"Stefan and Marcus."

"Marcus? Is that one of Katherine's?"

"Yes," Jeremy replied.

"Tell Stefan we're leaving town going East. I don't know if he can meet us, but we have more help with us."

"Katherine wanted us separated. And there are supposedly some of the bad guys nearby."

"Just tell him. And if something happens, don't let anything get to Jenna"

"I've already had that lecture," Jeremy said.

"From who?"

"Katherine. She made sure I know Jenna comes first."

Elena was surprised Katherine would do that. "Tell Stefan where we're going and let him decide what to do, OK?"

"Yeah. Got to go. Stefan said to keep it short. Be safe Elena," Jeremy said as he disconnected.

* * *

Forward the Light Brigade

The vans followed them as hoped - all of the way through town and further. Damon told Elena that, according to her plan, they would leave the road in a couple of minutes.

"Isobel." Elena called to the vampire walking next to her and Damon.

When Isobel was looking at her, she said, "When we leave the road, we need to have one of Katherine's guys stay behind to keep an eye on them so that we know what they do."

"Of course, Elena," Isobel said sarcastically. "Why wouldn't we reduce our numbers just before the battle begins. Leave the stronghold, cut off reinforcements, lie to the general. Where do you get these strategic gems?"

"Please, just ask one of them to."

Isobel glared at her and then moved and spoke to one of the vampires.

"She's not wrong," Damon said to Elena as she watched her mother.

"I know," Elena said. "But I have to protect Mystic Falls. I'll protect the town and you protect me. OK?"

"If we lose you, Elena, the town will burn anyway. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. Katherine's exact words escape me, but they were something like 'it will be burned to the ground and there will not be a human or witch alive within a hundred miles'."

"So you know the score," Damon said.

"I know you have got to keep me alive," Elena said as Isobel joined them again.

"Is it done?" Elena asked.

"Yes," Isobel replied. "Forward the Light Brigade" she quoted as the group made a sharp turn, off the roads, into the fields and increased to full vampire speed.


	49. The Hordes and the Hill

The Hordes

Alaric watched Katherine as she talked on the phone. If he understood correctly, they had gone south to almost the edge of town. She had made a couple of other brief stops, but not long enough for him to get down and walk around.

But now it had been five minutes. He had stretched and walked around a bit. He was ready to do something besides stand there.

Several other vampires had joined their group as he waited. As he feared, he had no idea who they were loyal to, no idea who any of them were, except Katherine.

Katherine approached him and spoke. "No sign of any of them in town anymore. Or to the South or West. It appears that Elena leaving the Bennett house put an end to the fires. And we were either wrong about them being Southwest of town, or they have moved."

"Did you find who you were looking for?" Alaric asked.

"No. No sign of them," Katherine said, shaking her head.

"But Elena and Isobel are back at Bonnie's house now?"

"No. They never returned. Not a complete surprise. It seems Elena has managed to achieve her goal of being followed by hordes of vampires."

"The sun will be gone soon," Alaric said. "We need to find them. We should be moving."

"Oh, we'll move. First we need a bit of guidance." Katherine said, pressing buttons on her cell phone again.

* * *

Our Isobel

The entire group had been moving at top speed until Isobel slowed it down to answer her cell phone.

"Here." Isobel said into the phone, slowing to a walk. Damon and the others matched her speed.

Elena guessed that they had been busted.

"Your job was to get her back to the Bennett house," Katherine said. Isobel thought Katherine was calmer than she should have been.

"It was. But you have always said that, no matter what happens, we are to stay with her and keep her safe. This is the 'no matter what' part. You know her. This can't be too much of a surprise."

"I know her and it's not."

"Do you want to talk to her?" Isobel asked.

"Oh, I'll talk to her. But it will be face to face when she cannot just send me away with words. Are you out of town now?"

"Yes. Going East, maybe a little North."

"Then they're behind you and to your left. Find a place you where you think you can keep her safe. Leave your phone on, we're on our way. Both Nathaniel and I have more coming, our numbers will be overwhelming if they can be held off long enough."

"Got it. We'll look for someplace to stop."

Katherine turned to Alaric.

"Are you ready Mr. Saltzman?"

Alaric nodded as he climbed onto the back of the vampire.

"Let's go find our Isobel…" Katherine said as she looked that the device tracking Isobel's phone and left in a blur.

* * *

The Point

Isobel slowed to a walk and spoke to Damon.

"Katherine wants us to find a place we can hold and keep Elena safe."

"No," Elena interrupted. "We need to keep moving. We can outrun them."

"The sun is setting, Elena," Damon said. "Maybe we could outrun some or even most of them – without you. But not with you. "

"And you are the point of all this," Isobel said. "We can't run forever. It's time to turn and fight."

Isobel put Bonnie down and left to speak to the vampires near them. Three of the idiots increased speed, moving ahead of the rest and disappeared, though it seemed they separated, heading in different directions.

"They will find a place for us that we can hold." Isobel told Damon who was still carrying Elena.

Bonnie was walking between Isobel and Damon.

"You're going to have to put her down and let her walk eventually," Bonnie told Damon.

"Eventually. But not now."

* * *

All Roads Lead to Her

Jeremy watched as Marcus and Stefan whispered to each other. Marcus had just been on the phone. He looked like he was ready to move, but Stefan convinced him to wait. He and Jenna stood as Stefan approached.

"Elena has left town going East," Stefan told them. "But she is being followed by a bunch of vampires – the ones that want to take her out."

"Take her out?" Jenna asked.

Stefan nodded. He didn't like it, but he had decided that he, at least, would tell her no more lies. "Yes."

"Why would they want that," Jenna asked. She was getting agitated.

"She's important, Jenna," Jeremy replied. "But she's protected, right Stefan?"

"Yes," Stefan said. "And Katherine is going to join her now with even more help. But the others are between them."

Jenna closed her eyes and tried to calm herself with breathing.

Marcus came to them and spoke to Stefan. "I can't wait anymore. I'm going to find her now."

"Find who?" Jenna asked.

"Elena Gilbert. Katherine is going to her, and I need to be with them."

"He thinks we should go farther into the woods, some of the enemy is between us and her," Stefan said.

"No," Jenna said. "Take us to Elena."

Stefan looked at Jeremy. He nodded.

Marcus did not look happy as he let Jeremy climb onto his back. He turned to and spoke to Jenna who was now being held by Stefan. "You should leave while you can. Everyone is going to Elena Gilbert, but most are not intending to protect her."

* * *

Not in Front of My Mother

It was getting dark quickly. Elena tried to make out some of the features of the position they had chosen, but she couldn't see around herself very well. Her eyes were trying to adjust, but it was not enough yet. They were on a hill, and it was steep. After letting her start up the hill, Damon must have decided she was too slow. He had scooped her up and brought her the rest of the way.

She couldn't see what they were doing in the darkness, but Damon, Isobel and the other vampires were making preparations. They were trying to make it hard for those who wanted to get to Elena. She sat in her assigned spot with Bonnie next to her.

"I feel so helpless," Elena said to Bonnie. "I have no power – I can't do anything to help."

"You lured the vampires out of Mystic Falls," Bonnie noted. "That's something."

"They were there because of me."

"Don't be so egotistical, Elena. There were vampires in Mystic Falls long before you were born."

"You know what I mean, Bonnie. It's getting worse. Every time I turn around, there are more. And they are after me, but you and my family get in the way. Eventually, you will get hurt."

"You are doing you best – we are all doing our best. And so far, it has been enough."

"So far," Elena sighed. "But it only takes once."

Isobel approached and spoke to Bonnie. "How far out can your protection spell work?"

"I'm not sure. I can cover the size of my house, maybe more, but less would be easier."

"And do you know for how long?" Isobel asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "Never tried it for more than 10 or 15 minutes. And I do get tired."

"Then that spell is our last resort." Isobel said. "We have it set up so that when they are about half of the way up the hill towards us, we can start a fire and there should be a ring of fire around you. There will be plenty of light for as long as we can keep it up, but I don't know how long that will be. You can hit them with your power before they get too close, right?"

"If I can see them."

"We'll be between the fire and you, but you know what to do if anyone approaches Elena too closely."

"Yeah. I know."

Damon sat next to Elena as Isobel moved back into the darkness.

"Bonnie, can you give us a little privacy? Just for a few minutes?" Elena asked.

Bonnie nodded and moved away from them. She found a tree to lean against as she looked back at them.

"Great way to start off together Damon," Elena said. "I'm sorry about all of this."

"What, you think I want boring? I've tried that before. It was boring."

"Promise me we'll do something together besides fight for our lives."

"Well, you were the one who said we were going to do this forever," Damon reminded her. "You're right so far."

Damon hesitated a minute and asked "Why me?"

"I thought that was what you wanted."

"It was. I wanted a lot of things from you, but I only ever got a fight from you. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Elena sighed and ran her hand over the bracelet. "It wasn't sudden Damon. I decided awhile ago. I should have told you sooner, but then I kept remembering what you were – what you had done. It was hard to get past that."

"So why did you? Why are you past that now?"

"Like you said, I've seen you at your best and your worst. I lived through your worst. I can do it again if I have to. But I've seen you at your best for some time now, and I want your best - even if the price is seeing your worst once in awhile. Then, with all of this stuff going on right now, I realized it could end anytime. I decided I didn't want to waste any more time."

They were as cuddled up as they could be where they were.

"Did you hear from the idiot left behind when we turned from the road?" Elena asked.

"Yes. They're following us. We might have half an hour now before they get here."

"Half an hour," Elena repeated. She looked at Bonnie and motioned for her to return.

"What did you do that for?" Damon asked, annoyed, as Bonnie sat on the other side of Elena.

"I don't know about you, but I need someone to keep me in line for the next half hour. It wouldn't do to embarrass myself in front of my mother, best friend and other assorted idiots."


	50. In a Blaze of Glory

Gone

Stefan was having trouble keeping up with Marcus. He was obviously much slower than the other vampire. Suddenly, Marcus pulled up to a full stop.

"They're gone. No one else is near us now," Marcus said.

"What does that mean?" Jenna asked.

"They have their target and they are going to her. I need to be with her. Stefan will have to carry you both." And Marcus was gone in a blur.

"Target?" Jenna repeated. "He means Elena, doesn't he?"

"Yes," Stefan replied. "He means Elena."

"We'll never get to her now."

"Sure we will," Stefan said as he motioned for Jeremy to climb onto his back and picked Jenna up. "I'm just not sure what we'll find."

Stefan pulled his phone out as he started following Marcus.

* * *

How do you Kill a Witch?

Damon came back to where Elena and Bonnie were watching.

"It was timed pretty well," he said. "It caught about six of them on this side, and a few more in the fire. We were able to take care of them with no problem."

"So now they're down to only what - 40 or so?" Elena asked.

"Or so," Damon said. "Stefan called. There were more near him, North of here, but they're gone now. He thinks they're coming this way – and has no idea how many."

"Not good." Elena said.

"Nope," Damon said. "But the number doesn't really matter. 40 or 140, the fire will either keep them away or not. And if it doesn't, we're in trouble."

"We're in trouble," Isobel said approaching the group. "It looks like some gaps are going to appear soon. The fuel we had available wasn't the best. I don't think it's going to hold up."

"Bonnie, can you do something about that?" Elena asked.

"About what?" Bonnie asked.

"About the gaps in the circle," Elena said.

"Like what?" Bonnie asked. "Throw fireballs at them? This isn't 'The Wizard of Oz'."

"Can you do anything with the fire?"

"I can move the air around it – maybe make it spread and maybe increase the heat. I don't think I could target the gaps, though. It would probably move in all directions, including to us. We don't want that. Fire burns humans and witches."

"Like in 'The Wizard of Oz'," Damon said.

"Fire did not burn witches in 'The Wizard of Oz," Bonnie retorted. "They were killed by houses, and water."

"Are you sure?" Damon asked.

"She's right, Damon." Elena said.

"Well they burned somewhere. Salem?"

"Not there either. Witches were hung in Salem," Elena said.

"Quit talking about how witches are killed!" Bonnie yelled.

"Oh, sorry," Elena said.

"I just broke the neck," Damon said.

"Damon!" Elena yelled as Bonnie glared.

They were interrupted as Isobel's cell phone rang.

"Katherine." Isobel said into the phone.

"I'm seeing a glow in the distance." Katherine said. " Do you know anything about that?"

"That's us," Isobel said.

"You're in a fire with Elena?" Katherine sounded startled.

"No!" Isobel said quickly. "We're on a hill. There is a ring of fire around us – as a defense."

"Is it working?"

"So far, but I don't know for how long."

"OK. We'll be there shortly. Maybe 20 minutes." Katherine said as she disconnected.

"20 minutes," Isobel said into the phone as Katherine disconnected. "Not going to be soon enough."

"The gaps are getting wider. Some will be able to enter through that one soon," Isobel said as she pointed and moved in that direction.

Damon started to follow her when Elena stood and pulled him back. "Wait just a minute. Help us work this out."

"Not much to work out Elena. They'll be in here soon – all whatever and 40 of them. We'll either last long enough for help to arrive or not."

"No Damon. I'm not losing you that easily. This isn't the Alamo."

"Then what, Elena? They're coming in and we can't stop them."

"Then we let them in and then we go back out." Elena said.

"The gaps will be full of vampires, Elena. How will we get out?"

"Not there," Elena turned around and pointed the opposite direction where the fire was strong. "There."

"Elena," Damon said with exasperation and pointed at the fire "Fire!"

"Damon," Elena said and pointed at Bonnie "Bonnie!."

"What?" Bonnie asked sharply.

"You did it on Founder's Day. You said a spell which subdued the fire in the building long enough for Stefan to get in and get Damon out."

"Which wasn't long," Bonnie said.

"But long enough given vampire speed," Damon said, thinking out loud. "Do you think your idiots will go into a wall of fire through a witch's spell?"

"You did," Elena replied. "And if they want to stay with me, they will, because that's where I'm going. And then Bonnie can do the air moving heat building thingie and…"

"And burn them all." Damon finished.

"Sounds so easy," Bonnie said. "I'm just a spell in a box."

"Bonnie," Elena looked desperate now. "I think it's all we've got. And you've done it before."

The witch surrendered. "OK. OK. I'll give it a shot."

Damon was smirking at Elena now. "Someone has got to tell Isobel your next plan for her. Can I?"

"Yes," Elena said, sighing. "As long as you keep her away from me until she settles down."

"Thank you," Elena said to Bonnie as Damon walked away. "I just hope enough are in when we leave to give us a chance out there."

"We need to draw as many in as possible," Bonnie said. "But we need them to leave us alone until we're ready to leave. We need another fire inside here before the gaps open too much."

* * *

Rumors

Stefan stopped. He was being careful. They could see the fire clearly now, as well as a mass of vampires gathering at one side as if waiting to be allowed inside.

"Found her, I think." He said.

"You think Elena's in there?" Jenna asked, pointing at the fire.

"The vampires seem to think so." Jeremy said.

"She's there," Marcus said, approaching them and shaking his head. "But we can't get in to help her that way," He added, motioning to where the vampires were.

"But we can help her if she comes out the other side." Stefan said.

"Now she walks through fire?" Marcus asked. "There are rumors about her. That isn't one of them."

"She might if she has a witch." Stefan said, remembering that Bonnie had cleared the way through fire for him before. "Either way, let's make sure the path is clear on the opposite side from the where the others are trying to get in."

Marcus followed him, shaking his head.

* * *

Blaze of Glory

"Well," Isobel told Elena, giving her daughter what she thought might be a final hug. "At least we're going out in a blaze of glory. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Isobel left to gather the other vampires, who were busy fighting those that had managed to get in.

Damon was ready to ignite the fuel when the other vampires arrived into the last safe area. One of the idiots that had helped prepare the area for the second fire would also help with the ignition. Damon hoped they had calculated right, that they had enough room in the area for the vampires to all gather safely while Bonnie cast the spell.

He didn't have long to think about it. He saw the blur and heard Isobel say "Now!"

The fire was immediately lit. Only three of the enemy made it into the circle – better than he had expected. They were able to take them out quickly.

Most of the vampires in the area were nervous as they looked around them, and it was getting hotter.

"I'm ready - just tell me when," Bonnie said as she began a soft chant.

Elena looked at Damon and Isobel. She was hoping they could tell when enough of the vampires were inside to give them a chance outside.

"They're coming through fast now." Damon said. "Two pretty wide gaps."

"And a third," Isobel said.

"Do we need to do it now just to make sure there is enough fire inside the circle?" Elena asked.

Neither vampire responded. So she just held her breath for a few more seconds until Isobel said "Now?"

"Now." Damon confirmed.

"Now Bonnie," Elena said as she was scooped up into Damon's arms.

As the chant progressed and got louder, the gap appeared. Damon was through first, followed by the idiots who immediately passed him and began to form their circle around Elena. Finally Isobel picked up the still-chanting Bonnie and carried her through the fire.

"You can close it now," Isobel said.

Bonnie stopped and allowed the fire to return. Then she started another chant, stopping only when she thought she heard shrieking noises from the other side and knew she was being carried away by Isobel.

* * *

Reunions

Katherine gasped as she saw the brightness of the fire increase. She increased her speed even more in her alarm. The vampires with her did the same.

They were immediately caught up in fighting. There were some of the enemy vampires attacking Marcus and Stefan, and she saw that some of those she had sent with Elena were fighting as well. She knew that wherever Elena was, those vampires would be with her. For the first time all day, she began to feel some hope.

Elena was with Jeremy and Jenna now, Damon and Bonnie still at her side, Damon calmly holding her hand. She was confused by the commotion around her. She had no idea who was who out there.

Stefan had found them quickly as they exited the fire and directed them to where Jenna and Jeremy waited. Damon told her that it seemed to be going well, that almost all of the enemy had been trapped in the fire. Those that weren't or that somehow made it out were being handled by Katherine and those with her.

She believed him. She had to think that he would be in there fighting – if he thought he was needed. And there were still some idiots with her.

Elena was worried when Katherine approached. First she had to face Jenna, who hadn't really said anything yet, now Katherine. But Katherine passed her without a glance and nodded to Damon to follow her. He dropped Elena's hand and did.

They had walked fairly far away from Elena's group and the last of the fighting before Katherine stopped and spoke to him.

"I guess she's decided."

"She has," Damon said.

Katherine only nodded.

"What are you going to do now?" Damon asked.

"What I did before. Wait. This time it should only be what – 70 or 75 years? Half of what I waited for last time."

Damon laughed and shook his head. "There's always Stefan."

"Yes. And I can be compelling. But in 75 years, I can have my pick. And I'm sure I'll have to wait for all of it. With people like you around her, it appears Elena can survive anything."

* * *

Living the Life that She Chose

Elena found herself alone with Katherine. Katherine had made her wait – dreading. She wondered if it was some kind of punishment.

Elena looked into the mirror image she knew so well, yet still found so uncomfortable.

"Eventually I'll get used to you doing what you want, Elena." Katherine said.

"It's more doing what I think is right." Elena said.

"And eventually I'll learn that, no matter what you do, it works out. I'm starting to trust your instincts."

"Thank you."

"I only wish I had figured it out before I sold your soul."

Elena was startled. "What?"

The vampire smiled slightly. "Well, not your soul, really. Just a bit of your time. I have promised you would help Nathaniel with something in exchange for him helping me keep you alive."

"Oh." Elena calmed down some. It helped to know that Katherine trusted him. "With what?"

"Don't know yet. But right now I need to call him and tell him to call back whatever vampire army he has sent to Mystic Falls."

"What?" Elena cried. "I just went through that to keep vampires out of Mystic Falls and more are coming?"

"His and mine. But we'll stop them," Katherine said, trying to soothe Elena. "We'll stop them before they get to town. I'll call now," she added, pulling out her phone and motioning for the human to return to Damon.

Elena hugged Damon before standing next to him and looking at Stefan and Jenna. They were both staring at her.

"This is going to be hard." Elena said squeezing Damon's hand.

"What? Ripping his heart out or taking whatever Jenna has in store?"

"Both," she replied. "And neither of them deserves it. Could I have done any worse?"

"Want some company while you do it?" Damon asked.

"No. Just comfort after. What kind of life is this?"

"You're just living the life you chose." Damon said.

"You have got to help me choose better, Damon." Elena said as she kissed him and turned to face the music.

"Choose better? But you chose me. Better than me? Not even possible." Damon said as she walked away.

**End of Part VII - ****Livin' the Life that She Chose. The Epilogue Introduces the Next Story.**

_Though not really directly. I really thought this would be the end, so the epilogue was more of an end than a beginning. I was wrong about that - couldn't quite give it up. I'm wrong a lot..._


	51. Epilogue Loser's Waltz

**Epilogue to Part VII - Loser's Waltz**

Stefan found himself alone in the woods again. He had been there fairly often since Elena had given him her final decision. He was sitting, his back against a tree, being a little dramatic. He was deciding what to do – stay or leave.

He heard her coming. He knew it was Katherine. Elena wouldn't be looking for him and couldn't have found him if she was. And she would certainly not be wandering in the woods alone.

He let her approach him and stand next to him before he spoke.

"What do you want, Katherine?"

"A moment is all, Stefan," Katherine replied.

"Why? Gloating?"

"I've suffered a loss as well, Stefan."

"You don't look all that upset about it."

"It was just a battle, Stefan. Not the war."

"You haven't seen the way Elena acts around me," Stefan said. "What little she is around me. She's different."

"Have you seen yourself around her, Stefan? Around everyone?"

"What are you saying? That she chose him because of me?"

"What do you think Stefan? You were all she wanted. Do you think Damon could have changed that?"

"I think he did. Or you did. Or circumstances did. Something changed."

"Anything but you? She changed. Maybe it was because Damon changed. Maybe it was because I came. But you changed too, and it wasn't for the better. You didn't keep up with her Stefan."

"Keep up with her? She left me"

"It doesn't always matter who moves Stefan. Sometimes, it matters who doesn't move. Elena did what she had to do. She always does what she has to do and she would have done it alone, if not for Damon. That wasn't me, or her, or Damon. That was you."

Stefan shook his head. "What does it matter? It's all in the past. Its over."

"It is if you think like that, Stefan. It is if you give up."

"She made her choice."

"Didn't you think that before – that she had chosen you? Things changed. You got behind. You can catch up."

"You're not suggesting I impose myself on her? I know her well enough to know how well that would go over."

"Is that what you think, Stefan? Impose yourself on her? Is that what Damon did?"

Stefan did not understand. "You want me act like Damon?"

Katherine laughed. "You can be dense. Part of the new Stefan, I suppose. Makes me wonder what I saw in you. Trying to copy him would be pathetic and unattractive."

"Then what?" Stefan asked.

"Go back to being you. You at your best - not a pathetic puppy who follows her everywhere, who agrees with her every word. Be you, the you I wanted so badly. The you she wanted. The you we both had."

"Even if I could go back, what if she didn't want me? What then?"

"Do you think Damon ever worried about that? If you go back to what you were, if you keep up with the changes, she'll at least have a choice again. She absolutely does not have one now."

Stefan glared at her. "Why are you telling me this, Katherine? What do you want?"

"I want you at your best. I've always wanted you at your best."

"What, you care about me now?"

"I've always cared about you, Stefan. And you have always cared about me."

"Don't be so sure," he muttered.

Katherine sighed. "Words Stefan. Just words. Your actions speak louder. You only sought out Elena because of me, because she looked like me. Because you loved me. You, me, Elena, Damon, we can all have a choice. But not now, not until you're back to yourself - your best self. Until then, you have nothing and all I have is Elena's pledge which comes with a reminder of who I've lost – twice."

Katherine turned to leave. "Please pull it together. We both need it."


	52. It's About Elena

**Part VIII - Paying the Debt**

Did it Work?

Katherine was at the Salvatore Boarding House watching. Of course, she had come here following Elena.

She had sent away those she had watching Elena, telling them to stay fairly close, if needed, but she would take over Elena watch for a few days. It was a good idea to see what they saw anyway, in case she saw something she needed to talk to Elena about.

So she was at the boarding house, but she was paying minimal attention to Elena. It would hurt if she paid too much attention to Elena when she was this close to Damon. And she was sure her normal Elena guard wouldn't be paying much attention to exactly what Elena was doing – they would be watching everywhere else, looking for potential threats.

She was doing that, too. But she was also paying attention to Stefan. She was trying to tell if he was changing, if her words had any effect at all.

Maybe they had – it would be hard to tell until he left the solitude he was finding in the boarding house and in the woods. She would be able to tell when he was around people again. But even if he did leave now, she would be subject to the movements of Elena. Still, she wanted to keep an eye on him.

It was time to return to the status quo.

* * *

Bring on the Pain

"Did you see them Damon," Elena asked. "Did you see Stefan and Jenna?"

"After you gave Stefan the news and talked with Jenna?" Damon asked.

"Or before. Either way it was the same."

"Which was?" Damon asked.

"Which was devastation. These two people who love me, who I love, were devastated by what I did to them. How could I have not known what I was doing to them, or did I just not care?"

"You've always cared, Elena. You know that."

"Not enough. I didn't care enough to figure out how to do this without hurting them. And I should have been able to."

They were snuggled next to each other on the couch. The timing wasn't clear yet, but Elena knew that she would have to leave soon to fulfill Katherine's promise to Nathaniel. She was spending all the time she could with Damon now.

"You didn't want them to be hurt, Elena. They know it and you know it. Jenna has probably forgiven you already. At least she lets me hang around without too much hassle now."

"Jenna hasn't finished with me yet." Elena said. "That much she has made perfectly clear. She tolerates what I have to do now, maybe she's barely tolerating me. I don't know. And Stefan – God knows what I've done to him."

Elena just shook her head.

"He's of age. Anything that he feels because of you is his doing now. You just told him that pesky truth you tell so often."

Elena laughed humorously. "Try telling Jenna that, or Jeremy. I've really been spreading the truth."

"It's done, Elena. The past is past. Lies have been replaced by truth. Now we just take whatever comes and deal."

"Yeah. And do you know what's coming Damon? Me hurting you. I always hurt anyone who loves me, anyone I love. Always. I don't mean to, I don't want to. But it happens."

"They'll get over it, Elena."

"Will they? But it's not them I'm worried about now. It's you. Sooner or later, I'll hurt you too."

Damon laughed so much it separated them. Elena just scowled at him.

"Being vulnerable here, Damon. Opening up. Laughing at me is not appreciated."

"Do you hear yourself, Elena? You hurt me? I tried for most of a year to hurt you. And I did. And in return, you did hurt me. You did things meant to hurt me, and I did things meant to hurt you."

Elena could only muster a "Yeah" in reply.

"But that's the past. We both survived. And here we are now. If pain is what brought us here, bring on the pain."

"The pain didn't bring us here, Damon," Elena said, snuggling back up with him. "But it made us stronger. I think I can get through anything now, as long as you're with me."

* * *

It's not You, it's Her

Stefan couldn't stop thinking about what Katherine had said to him. Maybe she was right, but had he really changed? He had to ask someone else, he had to get another opinion. But he knew Elena better than anyone. Who could he ask?

And so he was again at Bonnie's doorstep knocking.

"Stefan." Bonnie said as she opened the door.

He hesitated, hoping she would just invite him. She didn't.

"Can we talk for a minute?" Stefan asked.

"About Elena, or Damon?"

"Elena."

Bonnie motioned for him to enter and showed him to a table where they sat opposite from each other.

Stefan didn't know how to begin, but Bonnie just waited.

"Katherine said," Stefan began, then hesitated realizing it might not be a good idea to mention Katherine to Bonnie. She didn't react, so he forged ahead.

"Katherine said it is my fault Elena left me for Damon. She said I changed, that I stopped helping Elena."

"What do you think?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't think I did. I did whatever Elena asked me to."

"Most people do what they are asked to do, Stefan. But they don't ask for everything they need."

"I thought I gave her what she needed."

"You did," Bonnie replied. "For awhile. But when she was making hard choices, doing what she had to do, I think you quit trying to give her what she needed."

"No," Stefan countered. "I've always tried to give her what she needed."

"When I messed up and almost killed Damon, Elena did what she had to do to save Damon and me. She paid a price for me that I'll never really understand. And so, if she wants or needs anything from me, ever, she has it. I can't repay her, and I don't want her to ever be in such danger that I could. But she'll always have what she wants from me. Does she have the same from you?"

"She didn't save my life - not like that." Stefan said.

"Really? You were wounded, almost dead, with another vampire coming after you. Elena knew that you needed blood to become strong enough to fight it. So she did what she had to do. She always does what she has to do. She gave you her blood. And it worked, but she paid a price. She always pays a price, but it doesn't stop her from doing what she has to."

Stefan did not respond, so Bonnie forged on. "Elena used to talk about you to me all the time. I heard about your every motion, every word – so I know things about you and her. One thing I know is that you were all she wanted – she wouldn't have ever even looked at anyone else. And because of you, she felt some connection to Damon. So she tried to help him – because of you. She usually had to go through me, her best friend, to do it. She did it because she had to, but even then it was for you."

"Then when you went a bit astray after drinking her blood, Damon began to help her." Bonnie continued. "She was still doing everything for you. But do you know what was different? Damon didn't want anything from Elena. He just helped her. She thinks he cared about you more that he would ever let on, and maybe she's right, but he helped her without expecting anything in return. He probably wanted it, but he didn't expect it. And even though he didn't get anything back, he kept helping her. It reached the point where he would do anything for her – not caring what you or I thought."

Stefan was still silent.

"I don't like Damon, I never have. He has a history I despise. He has hurt so many, done so much. I will never get past it. But Stefan, I don't have to. It's not about Damon, it's about Elena. After what she did for me, I'll let myself be surrounded by vampires just to be with her, to help her, to protect her. And I have. I like you as much as I have ever like any vampire, and I don't completely trust you. I certainly don't trust Damon or Katherine. But I will stand next to them and anyone or anything else to be with her. Can you say that?"

"I don't know," Stefan finally said.

"Figure it out, Stefan. If you care about her the way I think you care about her, and believe me, I'm on your side, you have got to get over what she has done, the choices she has made. She did what she had to do. I'm alive because of it and so are you. I wish she would give up Damon. But she won't, not without a choice. A choice that will be as fiercely protective of her, as loyal to her as he is. Someone who loves her as much as he does. If that's not you, please find whoever it is. Or I'll be standing next to her and Damon for as long as she and I both live."


	53. Tasks and Favors

The Appointment

"I have to go, Damon," Elena said rising from the couch they shared. "And so do you."

They were at Elena's house. She preferred that to the Salvatore home recently when they weren't out doing something. She was avoiding Stefan – not hiding, just avoiding awkwardness.

"Why? Turning into a pumpkin? It's seven, not midnight."

"I know, but Katherine is coming. I need to be alone and in my room."

"She made an appointment? Has that ever happened before?"

"No," Elena said shaking her head. "And she hasn't been in my room for awhile."

"Mostly you talk to her by phone, right?"

"Yes. So I think this is serious. I think it has to do with what she calls the debt she has to repay."

"Nathaniel," Damon said.

"Yes."

"I should be here with you."

"No, Damon. This is pledge stuff, between her and me. You need to be gone, definitely where you can't hear. She'll know if you're not."

"OK," Damon said, knowing Elena would not budge on this. She took her relationship with Katherine very seriously. There were rules in place, whether Elena's or Katherine's he did not know, rules that said she would be alone when she received her assignments. She would talk to him afterwards, if she was allowed to.

"But you'll tell me, right?" Damon asked. "And you'll let me help?"

"Yes to both, if I can. But you know it's not really my choice."

She saw his expression, he never tried to hide it. This was not a new conversation between them. He was concerned knowing that she was sometimes sent to where he could not help her or even stay in touch with her. He was worried.

"Don't be like that, Damon. You know she hasn't let me down."

"I know she has, just not recently. And this is different. Whatever this is, I'm going to find a way to be there."

"I did not hear that," Elena said covering her ears briefly and smiling slightly at him. "I certainly am not going to repeat it. I will ask if you can come along."

Elena kissed him and started up the stairs.

"Go ahead and ask," Damon said smirking. "It won't change anything."

"Out of earshot," She said, pointing towards the door.

* * *

The Task

Katherine was prompt. Elena expected nothing else.

Elena waited in her room, recalling that Katherine's visits used to fill her with dread. That was gone now, but she was still nervous. Setting a time and coming in person were different.

Elena was looking at herself in the mirror, touching up here and there. She realized she was actually worrying about her appearance, something else that was new with Katherine.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. She hurried to open it.

"Come in, please." Elena said, greeting Katherine. Seeing someone that looked like herself walk through the door into her room affected her the same way every time – it was unnerving.

"Thank you Elena. It is nice to see you under calm circumstances."

"I like it better this way too." Elena said, motioning for Katherine to sit in a chair.

"Is it hard for you?" Elena asked as Katherine sat in the chair. Katherine gave her a questioning glance.

"I mean, is it hard for you to see me? It's hard for me to see you, like looking in a mirror. I just haven't gotten used to it yet."

"No, Elena," Katherine said. "It doesn't bother me at all. I don't think of you as a mirror. I still find it curious, interesting. But not hard."

Elena nodded her head and waited.

"It's time, Elena, time to assist Nathaniel as I promised. I think you knew this was coming. We'll leave the day after tomorrow."

"We? You're coming?"

"Yes, Elena. In this case, I will be with you. Not the entire time **– **you will need to go places that will not permit me to be with you, but I will be with you as much as possible and will wait with Nathaniel while you are doing as he asks."

"What does he want me to do?"

"He's trying to deal with witches, Elena. But these witches trust no vampire and he does not trust them. He would like you to act as an intermediary. Unfortunately, when you are with them, we will not be able to have any vampires with you. At least not at first. We hope that will change."

"Will I be alone? You've never sent me anywhere alone."

"The witches will not allow any vampire to accompany you. I do not have the right to ask her, but I think you should ask Bonnie to go with us. Perhaps the teacher as well."

Elena was getting uncomfortable and it showed. She was so used to having Damon with her, or others, or both. "I don't know if I can ask Bonnie to do that. I don't really even know what I would be asking her to do."

"I don't want you to be alone, Elena," Katherine said. "But I have no one else who can help me who is not a vampire. Neither does Nathaniel. You are unique."

"OK," Elena said, looking away from Katherine – down to the floor. "I'll ask her, I'll ask them both."

"From what I understand, Elena, the witches are not what you would call bad. They would mean you no harm."

"Then why would I be needed?" Elena asked, meeting Katherine's eyes again.

"Things have happened – like with Bonnie and Damon, though not that serious. Not yet. At least one of the goals would be to prevent that."

"Can Damon come?" Elena asked. She thought it was good time to ask since Katherine had mentioned him.

Elena thought she saw Katherine flinch slightly, but if she did it was quickly gone. Her expression was blank as she responded. "Yes. I am allowed to have four vampires with me. I will also bring Isobel and two others that have spent a fair amount of time around you."

"'Allowed'? He is imposing a limit on you?"

"He permits a small party to accompany you and me. It's not an invasion and he is a friend. We will need no more."

"Where?"

"It's better if you do not know that," Katherine said. "We will travel in the evening, meet with Nathaniel during the night, and you and whoever accompanies you will meet with the witches in the morning."

"What will I tell Jenna?" Elena asked.

"She knows you do things for me. Tell her it's for me and the length of your absence."

"I don't know if she'll understand."

"Would you like me to talk to her?"

"No!" Elena said quickly. "I'll explain somehow."

Katherine noticed that Elena was uncomfortable. "Let me know if you change your mind. I would be happy to speak with her. And I know this kind of thing is new to you. But you have done everything else I have asked of you very well. You'll be able to do this. And you will be safe there. I will be with you as much as possible. Nathaniel can be trusted."

"OK. I understand. I'll be ready," Elena said, managing a slight smile.

* * *

The Favor

"I'd like to do this alone, Damon," Elena said. At her request, he had taken her to Stefan. He was not, as she expected, in the woods or at his home. He was in public, at a table, alone, with only a drink.

"How alone? Across the room or across town?" Damon asked.

"The latter. Far enough away that I'll have to call you to come and get me."

"I don't know. Are you two on good enough terms?"

"Damon, don't. I went to you alone sometimes when I was with Stefan. I need to ask him this alone. Please."

"All right. But call. I'll be waiting."

"I will, soon" Elena said and pulled him in for a kiss before he left.

She spoke to Stefan only when she reached his table. "Stefan, can I ask you something?"

He nodded and motioned to the chair across from him. His expression was different from what she had seen for some time. Not hurt or pleading or anything like that. Maybe indifferent.

He didn't speak. He just looked at her, so she started.

"I've got to leave town for a couple of days – for Katherine."

Stefan nodded. "I've heard."

"Damon is going with me. And I'm worried about Jenna and Jeremy being here without me and those around me. I'm hoping you will be willing to keep an eye on them while we're gone."

"Of course. I am your designated watchdog. I always seem to find myself with Jenna and Jeremy – never with you."

"Stefan…" Elena started, but did not continue.

Stefan just looked at her. "Stefan what?" he finally asked.

"Please. You're the only one that can help me with this."

"You say that a lot Elena. We both know better. Damon could stay. Bonnie could do it, Alaric. Katherine would probably leave someone if you asked."

Elena swallowed. This was not what she expected. "Bonnie and Alaric Saltzman are coming with me. And it's Jenna and Jeremy. You're the only one I trust."

"I'm the only one that can help. The only one you can trust. I'm your only one, just not that way."

"Stefan, we've had this conversation."

"No, Elena. We had you telling me what's what. Now it's my turn. All I've heard is that I let you down, that I didn't help you when you needed it. But that's not right, Elena. I was there every time you asked me to be. I did everything I could think of to help you, to keep you safe. Yeah, for a little while, I got scared. I was worried I would lose you. And I did. But it wasn't because I didn't help you. I did as you asked."

He looked at her long enough without speaking that she said "You did" under her breath.

"For whatever reason, that didn't matter to you. I could tell that, and I was afraid. But I'm not afraid anymore. I have nothing left to lose. You're still here, and I'm your only one. I lost the last hand, but another hand has been dealt. I will do as you ask, Elena. I always have and I probably always will."

Elena winced a little, but said "Thank you. I will find a way to repay you."

"No, Elena. This is a favor for you, but it's more than just that. The danger in Jenna and Jeremy's lives is as much my fault as anyone's. I will keep them safe because you ask me to, and because I owe it to them. The only thing I want from you, the only thing I've ever wanted from you, you're not willing to give me right now. If that ever changes, you how to reach me."

Stefan left as Elena watched. She felt a twinge of emotion inside that she recognized.

"Oh boy," She said to herself.


	54. Holding Fast

Not so Easily

Elena knocked at Bonnie's door and was greeted with a hug.

"I'm ready." Bonnie said. "When do we leave?"

"A little before sundown," Elena replied, sitting where Bonnie indicated.

"Vampires should learn to tell time with a watch or clock."

"Mr. Saltzman will pick me up and then come here."

Bonnie nodded. "You don't know the name or location of these witches?"

"No, sorry."

"I just wish I knew what to expect," Bonnie said, sighing. "Witches want such different things, sometimes. Some of us fight vampires, and some of us spell rings for vampires."

"These wouldn't do that," Elena said. "They aren't getting along with the vampires."

"Not with these vampires," Bonnie corrected. "Not with the vampires we're going to help."

That made Elena pause. "Katherine said the witches didn't like any vampires. But some of these vampires were with us on the hill, surrounded by fire, Bonnie. They risked their lives to help us, to help me. They kept their promise to Katherine. Now it's our turn to keep a promise. Well, my turn really. I'm sorry to ask you to do this. You really can back out if you want."

"No, Elena, I can't. You didn't leave me to face Katherine alone when she was out to kill me, I won't leave you to face these vampires and witches alone – whatever their intentions. I'm glad you asked me to go. I'd be really upset if you didn't."

"Thank you, Bonnie. That means a lot to me. I'd have died more than once if you hadn't been with me, helping me."

"Right back at ya," Bonnie replied.

Elena nodded and took a deep breath, trying to build courage for what she had to say next.

"Bonnie, I talked to Stefan about watching over Jenna and Jeremy while we're gone. He was so different."

"Different?"

"Yeah," Elena said. "Ever since Founder's Day and the stuff that happened after, he's been kind of weak, timid or what ever. A wimp, really. I knew he wasn't really being himself – that he was better than that. And I knew it was probably my fault."

"You do seem to have a knack for making guys the opposite of what they start out being."

"Bad to good or good to bad. Yeah. But he was the old Stefan. No sign of the weakness. And it made me wonder if I did right by him."

"Did right by…Elena, what are you saying?"

"He was strong, Bonnie, confident. He hasn't given up on me. Maybe if he'd been more like that recently, maybe…" She didn't finish.

"Elena, how long has it been since you sat over there," Bonnie began, pointing, "and chose Damon?"

Elena looked where Bonnie pointed and then at Bonnie again before lowering her eyes. "I know, Bonnie. But things were different then."

"Different? Damon's different so soon?"

Elena shook her head and looked back into Bonnie's eyes. "No, no. He's still the same. He's still wonderful."

"So just Stefan. One conversation and he's back?"

Elena let a small breath out. "I thought you liked him better than Damon."

"No, Elena," Bonnie corrected. "I can tolerate Stefan, but I despise Damon. He's tried to kill me and he's hurt you. Stefan has not done either, not really anyway. But this is about my best friend and what she wants. Yet it seems what she wants keeps changing. And every time it changes, someone she supposedly loves gets hurt."

Elena felt the sting of her words and had to close her eyes. "OK, OK, I get it. I'm a mess."

"Your words. But if you're a mess, be a stable mess – at least for awhile."

"I can be stable," Elena said resolutely. "I can and I will. When I chose Damon, I took my time. I made a good choice."

"Well, that's debatable."

"Bonnie! You remember me sitting over there making a choice, did you forget that you came over and congratulated us?"

"I was being polite. I'm just reminding you of what you decided. Please stick with it for at least a little while before you go all disrupto-girl again."

"You're right. I can't let him get to me that easily. Maybe he can earn his way back, but it will take time."

"I hope you stick to that, Elena. Your life has way too much drama."

"And you only see it from the outside," Elena said, sort of agreeing.

"Oh, I see plenty from the inside. More than enough."

* * *

Being a Good Example

Elena was outside, on the porch of her home, waiting for Alaric. She was next to Damon, Jenna, Jeremy and Stefan.

"Well this is better than it used to be," Elena told Damon as Alaric's car arrived. "At least I get to say a proper good-bye not just sneak out and hope I make it back. That was harder."

She hugged Jenna. "I'll be home in a couple of days."

"I wish I knew where you were going and what you'll be doing," Jenna said. "This isn't easy for me."

"If I knew I would tell you. But I don't."

"How can you do it, Elena?" Jenna asked, her face showing that she did not understand. "Just go where she asks? Never knowing for sure what you'll face."

"I have to. And I know I'm safe."

"Safe? How can you be so sure?"

"You saw what Bonnie can do," Elena replied. "And Mr. Saltzman is pretty good too. Plus Damon won't let anything dangerous near me. You don't need to worry about me – or at least not about my safety."

"But I will. You're still my responsibility."

"I know. And I promise I'll be back," Elena said as she nodded and turned to move to Jeremy

She gave him a hug as well.

"If anything happens…" she began.

"I know," Jeremy interrupted. "whatever it is gets through to me, not Jenna."

"Sorry," Elena said. "But yes. But Stefan won't let anything happen."

"You still trust him, even after what you did to him."

Elena grimaced a little as she met Jeremy's eyes. "Yeah. He'll keep his promise. I don't think he has any of the flaws you see in me."

Elena moved to Stefan and gave him a hug.

"I don't care what you say," Elena whispered into his ear as she hugged him. "I will find a way to repay you for this."

"I don't want that Elena," Stefan said. "It's a favor for a friend and an attempt to help you with the havoc I created when I came into your life."

"It wasn't havoc, Stefan. I've never regretted it."

"You've said differently in the past."

"I know. But that's the past. Here and now, I can't imagine what my life would be like if you hadn't come into it. I really am grateful for what you're doing, staying here while I'm gone."

"Anything you ask, Elena. But you know that."

"I do. Thank you," she said as she kissed him on the cheek and returned to Damon.

"See you guys soon." Elena said as they turned towards the car.

Elena only saw the woman in the front passenger side as she reached the car. She glanced back at Jenna as she entered the car to see if Jenna had noticed.

Jenna's expression told Elena that she had seen Isobel sitting next to Alaric. Elena decided she would talk to Jenna about it – there were things she could tell Jenna that might help her to feel better or at least understand better.

"I knew you were coming," Elena told Isobel. "I didn't know it would be so soon."

"And 'Hello' to you too, Elena," Isobel replied. "Not one of your warmer greetings."

"You're enjoying being seen by Jenna a little too much," Elena said.

"I'm here to lead you to the airfield," Isobel said icily. "None of you know where it is."

"Not just an airport, of course."

"Of course. And who are you to lecture me on love and triangles?"

"You could at least be a good example for me," Elena retorted.

"I am," Isobel replied. "I loved him, and I left him. But just because I left the one I love behind doesn't mean I won't be with him every chance I get. Because, I will."

* * *

The Plane (or Whatever)

Bonnie was with them now. Isobel was directing Alaric to the airfield, out of town, somewhere in the woods.

Elena didn't know what to expect. It could be a jet, a propeller-driven plane, or, for all she knew, a hot air balloon.

It was a small jet. Katherine and three others were waiting outside.

"Still not telling me where?" Elena asked Katherine as they boarded.

Katherine gave a slight smile in return. "Do you know where you are now?"

"No," Elena said truthfully. She really hadn't tried to follow where Isobel was leading them.

"Good. We'll be there in about three hours."

"Can I ask something?" Elena asked.

Katherine turned towards her expectantly.

"Stefan said you might let one of your vampires watch over my house while we're gone."

"Stefan?" Katherine asked.

"Yes. I asked him to stay there with Jenna and Jeremy and he said he would. I would feel even better if one of yours was outside as well."

"Do you have a reason to be concerned, Elena?"

"No, but I never have. If I've learned anything it's that two vampire protectors are better than one."

Katherine nodded. "I have someone I can send, and I will let Stefan know that he'll be outside your home. It'll be a long night. You might try to get some sleep."

"Oh yeah. Heading into the unknown with witches and vampires. That's what puts me to sleep."

* * *

_Peachie X was beta on this chapter and it shows..._


	55. Nobody Special

_Peachie X acted as Beta on this chapter. She made it much better than it was (but you'll never be able to tell ... I'll never share what she originally saw...)_

Flying with Vampires and Witches

"Well this seating arrangement sucks." Damon said. "There is not two seats together anywhere." There were five rows of two seats in the cabin, with an aisle between.

"In the cockpit there is." Katherine said. "But neither of you is going in there."

"It's OK Damon," Elena said, grabbing his hand and pulling him. "we'll sit in the back. There's not much space in the aisle so we can reach across or even share a seat when we are in the air without being in anyone's way."

"Do they need a chaperone?" Alaric asked Bonnie as he and Isobel took the seats in front of Damon and Elena. Bonnie sat in the seat in front of Alaric.

"Yes - always," Bonnie said. "But it'll have to be you. I'm just not up to it this time."

Alaric turned back and gave Elena a stern look. "Don't make me come back there."

"Better use a vervain dart on him now then." Elena replied defiantly as they heard the engines and felt the takeoff.

"We don't need vervain." Isobel said coolly, looking at Damon. "Threats will work just fine."

"Threats?" Damon asked, smirking. "Didn't I teach you anything when I turned you? Vampires don't need threats – we have fangs."

When in the air and stable, Katherine moved to the back and spoke to Elena.

"I've sent one of mine to your house and told Stefan. Are you comfortable back here?"

"I'm fine. I'm just really nervous about this."

"We have sedatives, if you would like."

"No!" Elena said forcefully, shaking her head. "No drugs. I need my mind sharp for this."

Katherine nodded. "Very well, but try to rest. You need that as well."

Elena nodded. Katherine had started to move back to her seat when Bonnie spoke.

"Why didn't you send your other witch with Elena?"

Katherine turned back and looked at Bonnie. "My other witch? Do you think of yourself as mine?"

"No!" Bonnie replied quickly. "But you have a witch that works with you – that put the spell in the bracelet that blocked my power while I wore it."

"I do." Katherine said, nodding. "She can be relied upon for spells on rings and necklaces and so on. But she is not really that stable otherwise. I would never let her near Elena."

Katherine hesitated as Bonnie nodded, and spoke again. "And she's getting old. I could really use the help of a reliable witch. It would be nice to have another Bennett witch, but I suppose with what has happened between us, there's no chance of that."

"No chance. Zero, zip, nada." Bonnie confirmed.

"But I think," Katherine said, "I would rather have your loyalty to Elena. Since it is there, I suppose I have what I want. But perhaps Elena could broach the subject with the witches she'll be meeting with, should she find them reliable."

"Of course," Elena said from a couple of rows back, sounding exasperated. "I'll add it to the agenda. After convincing them to not hate vampires and getting them to live in peace together. If nobody dies, I'll hire a witch. I'm on it."

As Katherine returned to her seat, Elena looked at Damon and motioned for him to join her. Isobel turned back and glared.

"Oh, turn around," Elena said crankily. "We won't do anything, just talk. Or whisper. It would be really nice if you wouldn't eavesdrop."

"Of course, Elena," Isobel said coolly. "I'll just concentrate on Rick."

"And I'll follow your example." Elena blurted before Damon touched his finger to her lips.

"Let it go," he whispered. "mother-daughter drama on the return flight. You're really upset about this. Katherine's right, you need to rest, or at least relax."

Elena nodded and whispered "I know - you're right. I just don't know what to expect. I'm learning how to handle vampires, but this? This is when I want you with me, but you can't come."

"I'll be as close as I can, Elena. I'll find a way into their house if it turns out that you're in danger."

"How will you know, Damon? You won't be close enough to hear."

Damon hated seeing her worried expression. "I'll talk to Katherine. I would guess that between her and Nathaniel, they can find a way to bug you or wire you or something so we can listen."

"Do you think the witches would allow that?" Elena asked hopefully.

"I don't know. But unless it's forbidden, I think Katherine would allow it – maybe demand it."

"OK, Damon. We'll ask. I'll feel better if you can at least hear me."

Damon found himself in an awkward position, hugging Elena. But he stayed there because of what she said next.

"Don't move." she said, closing her eyes to try to rest.

* * *

Nobody Special

They were driven to a large house – about the size of the Salvatore Boarding House. It looked like it was in an open area – not much in the way of trees or buildings nearby – but it was hard to tell in the dark.

Elena held only the small bag containing the overnight necessities and the few articles of clothing she had been permitted to bring. She lined up with the others as Katherine instructed – Katherine and an idiot in front, Elena next between Damon and the other idiot, Alaric and Bonnie behind them with Isobel at the back.

Elena had a firm grip on Damon's hand as they entered the house and were led to a large, well lit room which held more people, probably vampires, than she cared to look at or count.

Katherine stopped and turned back to Elena. "Wait here." She went forward and talked to a tall, bearded man. Elena thought he must be Nathaniel. She had almost expected him to be on a throne, but he was just standing.

Elena turned towards Damon and whispered to him "Nathaniel?"

"Probably," Damon said. She hoped he would say more, but he didn't. She was unnerved by the silence in the room and by the fact the she couldn't hear Katherine or Nathaniel speak at all.

The vampire in front of her turned around. "It's Nathaniel," he said softly, in at tone that made her almost felt guilty about the nickname she used for him and those like him. "They will both speak to you in a minute. You should probably not speak until they are near us – he might consider it rude."

Elena nodded as the vampire turned around. Katherine had said she would bring vampires that had spent time with her, but she did not recognize him. She decided she would pay more attention to those that protected her.

She continued to watch Katherine, wondering how any vampire in the room could hear anything except her loud, fast heartbeat.

She was glad when Katherine returned and formed the group into a line. Nathaniel stood a few feet in front of Elena, but his eyes followed Katherine's introductions.

"You know the vampires except for Damon and Isobel," Katherine said, pointing. Each responded with a head nod when their name was mentioned. The face of both was blank – no expression.

"The gentleman with us is Alaric Saltzman. And the witch is Bonnie Bennett."

Nathaniel spoke to Alaric. "Why are you here?"

"I came because Elena asked me to, because I don't want her to face whatever is waiting for her here alone." Elena couldn't believe that his voice was calm.

"Why are you loyal to her? What has she done for you?" Nathaniel asked. His face showed no emotion.

"For me? She has done for me what she has done for everyone else. She helps people and protects our town. I help her do that when I can, and I will do my best to make sure she can continue to do it."

"I've heard about your darts," Nathaniel said. "Are they in your bag?"

"Yes. I'm surprised you let me bring them here." Alaric said. He still did not flinch.

"Keep them in your bag and you won't be separated from them."

"Don't threaten Elena, and they'll stay in the bag."

"Rick! Enough." Isobel said, but Elena could not discern any emotion in her voice. It was as bland as Nathaniel's.

Nathaniel turned to face Bonnie. His expression remained blank. "Why are you here?"

"Because Elena asked me to come," Bonnie said. "and because I made a promise to protect her."

Elena thought she did hear at least discomfort in Bonnie's voice, maybe more.

"A promise to her?"

"A promise to Katherine."

"You promised Katherine that you would protect Elena Gilbert?" Nathaniel asked with the slightest hint of surprise.

"I did." Bonnie said, nodding.

"So you work with Katherine? A witch with a vampire?"

"Only to protect Elena," Bonnie said. "nothing else."

"Bonnie…" Elena said, but stopped speaking when she saw Nathaniel turn towards her.

"Elena Gilbert I presume. Who are you that you have such loyalty from vampires, witches and humans?"

"I'm nobody special." Elena said trying to keep her voice steady.

"Nobody special," Nathaniel repeated. He was looking into her eyes, his face pretty much blank again. "Nobody special, though pursued by vampires and protected by vampires. My own have told me that a lot of vampires die around you."

"Not if they don't threaten her." Katherine interjected.

Nathaniel did not break eye contact with Elena. "Nobody special, though I see that what Katherine told me is true – you are surrounded by people of all sorts would die before they let anything hurt you. In return you pledge your loyalty to Katherine," he said. It was a statement rather than a question.

"Not in return," Elena contradicted. "she has already given me what I asked of her. My pledge is to serve and protect Katherine regardless of what she does for me. She and the others protect me for their own reasons. I don't really understand it all."

"And you will perform this task for me with the same dedication as you would if Katherine asked it of you?"

"Katherine has asked me to do it. I will do it as well as I can."

* * *

The Only Way She Plays

Elena was alone with Katherine in the room she had been assigned to share with Bonnie. There were only the most basic necessities there – a couple of beds, a dresser with a mirror, and a bathroom. She and Katherine sat on the bed Elena had claimed.

"We will need to leave in just a few hours." Katherine said. "Rest as best you can."

"You're coming?" Elena was surprised. She had expected Katherine to stay with Nathaniel.

"My entire group will be with you and wait as close as we can, along with a few of Nathaniel's who are protected in daylight. Also, you will wear these." Katherine said, holding up a small earpiece and microphone on a clip.

"Damon must have asked," Elena said, taking the items and examining them. "I forgot."

"Yes. Nathaniel agrees - it was not forbidden and we would like to hear what is said."

"They'll be able to see the microphone at least." Elena pointed out.

"We want them to know that we can hear them. If you wear the earpiece, we will be able to answer any questions you may have. We will not speak to you unless you ask – you don't need any other distractions. Do you understand what Nathaniel wants?"

"Yes," Elena said with a slight nod. "I just don't know what to expect from the witches. You can't tell me anything about them?"

"No. Nathaniel spoke with one to make the arrangements for this. He thinks that she, at least, wants to work out this problem. But they haven't met, and two others live with her."

Elena nodded. "OK, I'll try to get some sleep."

"Then I will see you in a few hours." Katherine said as she left. Bonnie had been waiting outside the door and entered immediately.

"Did she share anything with us minions?" Bonnie asked as she fluffed her pillow.

Elena glared. "Don't call me that. She said three witches, spoke with one by phone to set up the meeting and they think that one is willing to work with us." The glare was gone, replaced by an uncomfortable expression. "That's it. I wish there was more. We'll just have to play it by ear from there."

Bonnie laughed as she climbed into her bed. "Like you've ever played it any other way."


	56. The Witches

_Thanks to Peachie X for acting as Beta on this chapter. You should thank her as well - she made it much better than it was at first...again..._

Blurterer (or Whatever)

"We'll drop you off and go to where we're allowed to be." Isobel said. The morning had arrived and Elena was being taken to the witches' house.

"Will Katherine be with you?" Elena asked. "I kind of expected her to be with me now."

"No. She is near but at a different location with a number of Nathaniel's vampires. She has the equipment, she will be able to hear everything."

Elena nodded. She wasn't able to hide her nervousness.

"We'll be close, Elena." Damon said. "I'll be on foot, nearby - as close as I can get. I'm linked in too, I'll hear everything. If I think you're in danger, I'll be there."

Elena hugged Damon. She was in the back along with him and Bonnie. Alaric sat in the front next to Isobel. Katherine's other vampires were in a car behind them along with a few of Nathaniel's that could also move in sunlight. They were driving in an older neighborhood with large houses, big yards and a lot of trees.

"No Damon. I'm going to be nervous the whole time. You might think I'm in danger just because of that. Don't come unless I call for you."

"You'll call for me by name?" he asked.

"Yes." Elena said as she leaned her head against his chest. "I don't want to have to remember some codeword or anything. There's enough going through my mind."

"So 'Damon' brings me to the doorstep of the witches' house."

"Better make it 'Damon come'." Elena said. "I could blurt your name out anytime."

"'Blurt'?" Bonnie asked with an annoyed expression. "Elena, this is serious. There will be no blurting of anything, especially not his name."

Elena sat up straight to defiantly sing her reply. "He's my vamp and I'll blurt if I want to."

Bonnie scowled while the rest of the passengers laughed.

* * *

Arranged Meeting

Elena thought it was an ordinary looking house – not that she expected anything else. The Bennett house was not really distinctive.

This house looked old and, like the houses around it, had a large front yard – gigantic, really, with a number of large, old trees.

"Showtime." Damon whispered as Elena kissed him before following Bonnie out of the car.

"Later, Damon." Elena said. "Hopefully much later. If I see you too soon, well…later, Damon."

"I'll be listening." Damon said, showing her an earpiece.

Elena watched the cars leave, checked her earpiece and microphone, took a deep breath and walked to the house with Bonnie and Alaric. She had not reached the porch when a girl who looked close to her own age, perhaps a few years older, came out and greeted them. She was a blue-eyed blonde and not very witch-like, in Elena's mind anyway. She went immediately over to Elena.

"Elena Gilbert?" she asked.

Elena nodded. "Yes."

"I'm Sarah Proctor. I'm glad to meet you."

"I am as well," Elena said, turning to make introductions. "and this is Alaric Saltzman and Bonnie Bennett."

"We didn't know if you would be alone," Sarah said. "Mr. Saltzman." she added, shaking his hand.

Sarah turned to Bonnie and hesitated. She looked curious. "Bonnie Bennett," she said as they shook hands, "from the Bennett line of witches?"

"You know us?" Bonnie asked, surprised.

"We know of you." Sarah explained. "My mother is interested in the family lines of witches. A hobby, or maybe she's trying to figure something out, I'm not sure, but she'll be pleased to meet you."

Sarah turned back to Elena. "It looked like you were dropped off by vampires. We trust that they are keeping their distance, as was agreed."

Elena nodded. "They are and will and they trust that we will be treated well."

Sarah nodded.

"Who made the arrangements?" Elena asked.

"I did," Sarah replied. "Our conflicts with the vampires are getting serious. I think we have to at least try to talk to them."

Elena nodded.

"Who are you to them?" Sarah asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but I've never heard of anyone like you, someone who would be willing to work for them and intercede with us on their behalf. Why? What is all this to you?"

Sarah was staring at her. She was not glaring or threatening, just staring as if to test the truthfulness of Elena's response.

Elena hadn't expected the question. "I help them with things when they ask me to."

"Why? I mean, you look normal – no compulsion or anything.…May I?" Sarah asked Elena as she reached towards Elena's hair.

Elena nodded. Sarah pulled her hair aside and looked at her neck, then pulled up her hands and checked the visible part of Elena's arms.

"They're not feeding off of you, you have vervain. They can't be controlling you, that I see. Why do you help them?"

"Because of me." Bonnie said with a pained expression. "One of them almost killed me. Elena interceded. To save me, she pledged her loyalty to the vampire."

Sarah stared, first at Bonnie, then at Elena. "You made a pledge to a vampire to save a witch?"

"Yeah," Elena replied softly.

Sarah kept staring. "Is it hard?"

"Yes." Elena said. "But, I've never regretted it."

"You are a friend to witches then." Sarah said, as if finally satisfied.

"I really only know Bonnie, but if someone is like her, yes."

"And vampires," Alaric finally spoke drawing the eyes of the others to him. "she is friends with a number of vampires."

Sarah looked at Elena as if expecting a comment.

"I know that many are bad," Elena said. "Maybe most. But, some just want to be left alone. Some help protect my town, my home. Some might even be willing to protect yours."

Sarah nodded. "Shall we go inside?" she asked, turning towards the door.

"We passed the test?" Alaric asked as the group followed Sarah.

"You passed my test," Sarah said as she opened the door. "The tests of my mother and aunt will be harder."

Elena felt much better after meeting Sarah, but she still hesitated before entering the home – enough that Sarah noticed.

"Is there a problem?" Sarah asked.

"No. Sorry, just thinking," Elena said as she tried to push any worries out of her mind and entered, followed by Alaric and Bonnie.

They entered directly into a living room where they were asked to wait as Sarah left the room. Elena decided to remain standing rather that sit.

"Are you feeling alright" Alaric asked Elena noticing her continuing nervousness.

Elena nodded. "Sarah seems nice. That helps."

"We're fine." Bonnie said.

At this point, Sarah entered the room with two older women, one with red hair, looking to be in her forties. The other was older, with distinctive silver hair.

Sarah walked over to Elena, followed by the redhead. "Elena, this is my mother, Natalie Proctor. Mom, this is Elena Gilbert. She is accompanied by Alaric Saltzman and Bonnie Bennett."

Natalie nodded to Alaric and gave Elena's extended hand a passing shake. Then she turned to Bonnie with a warm expression. "Bennett? Sarah tells me you are a witch. Are you related to Emily Bennett?"

"Yes. She's my ancestor." Bonnie replied smiling.

"Emily Bennett?" the silver-haired woman spoke from across the room. "Would she approve of what you are doing?"

Elena's eyes turned from Bonnie to the woman who appeared annoyed, at best.

"My aunt Sylvia," Sarah said, visibly rolling her eyes.

"What I'm doing?" Bonnie asked, confused.

Sylvia took only a couple of steps towards her and spoke again, her hostility showing now. "Helping vampires."

Bonnie shook her head, taken aback at the difference between Sylvia and the others. "That's not what I'm doing. I'm here to help Elena."

"Don't take her too seriously." Natalie whispered to Bonnie as Sylvia turned her attention to Elena.

"Do you speak for the vampires, Elena Gilbert?" Sylvia asked coolly.

"In this case, yes." Elena said, nodding, being careful to make eye contact.

"Then give them this." Sylvia said, followed by a hand motion and a few words Elena did not understand.

Elena wondered what she meant when she suddenly felt like she was hit by a ton of bricks.

"Sylvia!" Natalie said at the same time Sarah said "Aunt Sylvia!"

Elena was staggering, trying to remain standing. Alaric immediately put his arm around her to support her as Bonnie and Sarah moved to stand in front of her, between Elena and Sylvia.

Alaric could tell that Elena was having trouble breathing and starting to slump. When he moved his hand to check her pulse he noticed the ring Isobel had given him. He quickly made a decision. "We need to get her out of here." he said as he removed the ring and slid it onto Elena's thumb.

Alaric lifted Elena and carried her to the door, but could not open it.

"Aunt Sylvia!" Sarah said as she and Bonnie backed towards the door behind Alaric. "Let them out. Release the door!"

Sylvia shook her head, concentrating.

"Release the door or I swear I'll invite every vampire out there to come inside." Sarah threatened.

"You wouldn't." Sylvia said angrily.

"I need a name." Sarah said to Bonnie.

Bonnie didn't speak – she was too shocked by the events.

"Damon," Alaric said, still trying to open the door.

"Damon, come…" Sarah began, but was interrupted by the door flying open.

Alaric was immediately out, carrying Elena, followed by Bonnie and Sarah.

Alaric carried Elena to a tree about half of the way to the street and gently laid her onto the grass underneath.

"I don't think she's alive." he said softly, "not any more."

"I'm sorry." Sarah said frantically. "She never said anything, but I knew she wasn't very happy about this." She looked at the house and then back to Elena. "I had no idea she would hurt anyone – especially a normal girl. You have to believe me," she added, to no one in particular.

Bonnie had been staring at Elena, but suddenly turned to Sarah. "You should go back inside. It's not safe for you out here."

"You think it's safe in there?" Sarah asked frantically.

"I think I got the ring on her in time." Alaric said, holding up Elena's hand and showing Bonnie the ring.

Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief and asked "Do you think it will work?"

"It had better," Alaric replied, "or that house will be burnt down by midnight along with anyone in it." It was the first time Bonnie could remember seeing him upset.

"Ring?" Sarah asked confused. "What ring?"

"Something Emily did." Bonnie replied point at the ring on Elena's thumb. "It keeps whoever is wearing it from dying."

"Oh, they die," Alaric contradicted. "and she's dead. But, she should be back with us soon."

Sarah looked like she didn't know what to think.

"Go back inside," Bonnie said to Sarah earnestly. "We'll be surrounded by vampires any time now."

Sarah looked nervously around the yard. "You think they'll be back so soon?"

"Yes. They're fast, and they're sure to be on their way here now. Go, please!" Bonnie implored.

Sarah turned towards the house but was pulled back by Bonnie as Damon appeared with a vampire she did not recognize. Two cars pulled up at the same time.

"Too late. Sit next to Elena." Bonnie said forcefully. "Alaric and I will try to stay between you and the vampires to explain. When Elena comes back, stay with her. Do not leave her side. Being next to her is the only chance you have of being alive an hour from now."


	57. Gone and Back

_Lucky for you, Peachie X acted as Beta on this chapter. The good in it is probably hers, the flaws remain all mine..._

The Spell

Bonnie was standing next to Alaric, in front of Elena and Sarah when she felt it. It passed through her a little ways and stopped Damon, Isobel and the other vampires as if they had hit a wall.

Bonnie was only confused for a second before she realized what had happened.

"You cast a spell." she said to Sarah. "Protection?"

"Yes," Sarah said. "I don't know if what you're telling me about Elena is true, if she's dead and will come back, but if it is, she's vulnerable to them. We all are."

"You're not chanting. You're talking to us." Bonnie said, amazed.

Sarah raised her hands showing that her fingers were moving. "My hands have taken over. I can multi-task, a little."

"You need to let them in." Alaric said to Sarah, though still watching the vampires, especially Isobel. Damon looked livid, Isobel also. "We can't have them calling for help."

"No! Why would I?" Sarah asked, not believing what he was saying.

Bonnie went to her to answer. "He's right. They won't hurt Elena, they've protected her time after time against anything that has threatened her. But if they can't reach her, more will come. Maybe you can keep the six or seven vampires out there now from getting to us, but if they can't get to Elena, more will come – dozens after sunset. We have to let them get to her."

"They protect her?" Sarah asked, not understanding.

"Yes, vigorously."

"But you and Alaric?"

"They know we're with Elena," Bonnie reassured her. "They were with us when we came here. They know us. We'll talk to them. We'll make sure they leave you alone until Elena is back with us, and we'll only let the two of them that are closest to Elena approach. We'll tell them to keep the rest away from us."

Sarah wasn't sure, but thought she could start the spell back up if needed. She nodded, but added "Away from us and the house."

Bonnie was getting nervous and quickly agreed. "Us and the house, fine. You can drop the spell now."

Sarah shook her head. "Stand next to Alaric. I'll pull the spell back behind you so you can talk to them. Nod when they agree and I'll drop it."

"You can do that?" Bonnie said with wonder as she moved to stand next to Alaric.

She felt the spell move behind her. Alaric had his darts ready.

Damon was instantly in Bonnie's face. "Let us get to them."

Alaric spoke to Isobel before Bonnie could answer "She has my ring on. She'll be fine."

"Put your darts away, Rick," Isobel said coolly. "We're not the enemy here."

"Promise to leave Sarah alone and she'll let you in." Bonnie told Damon.

"The witch?" Damon spat back. "No promises to witches today."

"She didn't do it," Bonnie yelled back. "She helped us get Elena out, and now she's trying to protect Elena."

"Protect her from me?"

"She doesn't know you, so yes. You know Elena will be royally pissed if you hurt someone that was trying to protect her, someone that did protect her by helping us leave the house. Promise you will leave Sarah alone until Elena is back, then we'll do whatever Elena says."

"You know what she'll say." Damon said. He was softening, but not much.

"Yeah." Bonnie said. "So do you. So leave Sarah alone until Elena is back. Only you and Isobel can get close – the rest need to be farther away. They can be in the yard but not by us or the house."

"She's setting terms?" Isobel asked Bonnie icily. "Or is it you?"

Bonnie looked at Isobel as she answered. "You know that with your speed it won't matter, but she'll feel better. Then we let Elena decide. Agreed?"

Damon closed his eyes, not completely satisfied, but nodded his head. "Agreed," Isobel said as she quickly moved to speak to the other vampires. They backed off.

When Isobel returned, Bonnie turned back and nodded to Sarah. Damon was at Elena's side so fast it made Sarah cringe. She had heard vampires were fast, but hadn't seen a demonstration so close to her. She thought she would have to remember the vampires' speed in case there were any more problems.

Alaric had put his darts away when Isobel agreed the terms. When she returned, he grasped her hand and deliberately walked slowly to stand next to Bonnie, between Isobel and Sarah.

* * *

How Long?

Damon was sitting next to Elena, watching for any sign. Sarah, as instructed, was on the other side. Isobel and Alaric stood behind Sarah, Bonnie had moved to stand behind Damon. The other vampires were around them but keeping their distance as instructed.

"I can't stand this. When?" Damon asked

"Give it time." Bonnie said. "He got the ring on in time."

"Is he sure of that?" Damon asked, glaring at Alaric. "Perhaps before going inside would have been better."

"She would have said no, Damon." Isobel said sharply. "You know that." She was visibly upset.

Sarah was watching Elena. If she looked at either vampire she only saw glares, so she watched Elena. Finally, she couldn't help herself. She had to touch somewhere, maybe check her pulse. She lifted Elena's wrist to try to feel.

"Don't touch her!" Isobel screamed. "I should be next to her now." she added in frustration as Sarah pulled her hand away.

"She stays next to Elena." Bonnie said firmly.

"She's my daughter!" Isobel yelled back.

"She'll be fine. Stay with me," Alaric said in a soothing voice, his arm around her.

"Now you're vulnerable to them," Isobel said to Alaric in a much softer tone, though still tense.

"So stay with me until I get the ring back."

"She's getting a ring like that, one way or another," Damon said.

They were interrupted by a sharp, audible intake of breath by Elena, followed by "Ow, ow, ow"

Damon immediately started to pull her up into a hug.

"Careful, Damon," Alaric said quickly. "It hurts at first."

Damon laid her back down and leaned over her instead. Her eyes were closed as she tried to breathe normally.

"Damon?" Elena asked as she opened her eyes. She tried to hug him, but laid back down when it hurt. "What happened?"

Damon pulled up her hand to where she could see the ring.

"How'd I get a…" she began, then pulled her hand to her head as a reflex to the pain.

"Elena, are you all right?" Damon asked.

Elena shook her head and tried push herself up. "Help me sit up."

Damon did. Elena began to look at the people around her and tried to remember what had happened. Her eyes stopped at Alaric.

"You put the ring on me?" she asked Alaric.

He nodded.

"When? Don't remember." Her voice was weak. She was having trouble talking.

"You weren't really aware of much when I thought to do it," Alaric responded. His relief was obvious.

Elena exhaled and nodded her head. "Thank you. How long?" she asked Alaric.

"How long what?"

She took a breath and repeated. "How long does it hurt like this?"

"Not long," he reassured her. "A few minutes."

Elena nodded and continued scanning those around her.

"Your aunt." Elena said to Sarah.

"I know." Sarah said, looking relieved. "I'm so sorry."

Elena shook her head. "Not you. Your aunt did this, but you're in danger now. Stay with me."

"You can't protect her, Elena." Damon said curtly. "Not after this."

"I have to. If not me, you. Promise?" Elena implored, looking into his eyes.

"Elena…"

She caught and held his eyes. "Promise me, Damon."

Damon stared at her. He couldn't bear to not give her what she wanted when she was in pain like this. Damon nodded his head. "I will."

Elena did pull him into a hug now, though it still hurt a little. "Help me up." Her voice was getting stronger.

"Are you better now?" Damon asked,

"No, not yet," Elena admitted. "But we need to decide what to do."

"We'll see what Katherine wants to do." Isobel said as Elena stood.

"No." Elena said firmly. "I'm the one on the line here, not her."

Elena's cell phone rang – her Katherine phone. She had to pull Katherine's earpiece out to put the phone to her ear.

"Katherine?" Elena asked.

"Are you all right, Elena?"

"I'm getting there," Elena replied. "Why didn't you just use the earpiece?"

"Some things are not for public consumption, Elena. It sounds like one of the witches left the house with you. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Elena replied hesitantly.

"I need you to have Isobel bring you and her to me."

"No!" Elena exclaimed, suddenly concerned. "It wasn't her. She helped me get out."

"Elena, do you know what happened there?"

"Yes, Sarah's aunt attacked me, not her. Sarah helped me."

"We were betrayed, Elena." Katherine's voice was as icy Elena had ever heard it. "We were tricked into sending you in without protection and you were attacked. If I heard right, you owe your life to Alaric Saltzman."

Elena knew she sounded desperate as she continued to argue. "I do and I know it. He saved me, they got me out of there and I'm fine. It's not Sarah's fault. She helped protect me."

"She set this up, Elena. I heard her say so. She led you right into the house, into a trap. We could not have known, only she could have known."

Sarah spoke now, knowing Elena was talking about her. "What's the matter?" she asked Elena.

Elena responded with the cell phone still at her ear. "Katherine wants me to take you to her."

"Katherine?"

"My boss. The one I work for."

"I thought it was Nathaniel."

"She's helping him by having me do this for him."

Whatever was upsetting Elena, Sarah felt her family was responsible. "Elena, I'm so sorry about this. I'll go."

"No!" Elena said, worried about the way Katherine would treat her. "I'll try to get you back inside your house and see what I can do out here."

Sarah shook her head. "No, Elena. I want to do whatever it takes to make this right."

"You don't know what you're saying."

"Please, Elena, I need to. You've already paid too high a price for this."

"Elena!" Katherine's voice came from the phone.

Elena still stared at Sarah as she spoke into the phone. "Sorry. I had to talk to Sarah. She said she'll come."

That seemed to calm Katherine down. Her tone was considerably milder as she responded "Good. Bring her."

Elena concentrated on Katherine again. "I won't take her there unless you promise me she is safe – that no one will hurt her."

"Elena, I can have her brought here." The icy tone was back.

Damon was, as usual, standing right next to Elena. She pulled his shoulder until he leaned his ear to her and let her whisper into it. She covered her phone's mouthpiece, "Be ready to take Sarah to her door if I nod."

Damon glared but moved to stand next to Sarah.

"You can have her taken to you," Elena said into the phone. "I'm asking you not to. Please, trust me on this and please guarantee her safety."

Katherine was silent for a minute before she spoke. "Very well, Elena. I give you my word that she will not be harmed, but some will stay near her house. They need to know the gravity of what they have done."

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. We'll be there soon."

Katherine disconnected without responding.

Elena shook her head at Damon and he backed off. She spoke to Sarah, "She's expecting us. She promised me you will be safe."

Sarah nodded. "I need to talk to my mom before we go."

"No," Isobel said coolly. "You're not going back in there. You're going to Katherine."

"Just to the door," Sarah implored. "I won't go in."

"No!" Isobel said sharply.

"Yes," Elena said to Isobel. "We'll go with her. You, me and Damon."

"We should go too." Bonnie said, motioning to Alaric.

"No," Elena said. "they need to see her with vampires. They need to know that they brought the vampires into this, but they are not hurting her."

"And that I am with them willingly." Sarah added.

Elena wasn't sure what Sarah meant, but didn't ask. She turned to Alaric. "Can I remove the ring now?"

"Not if you're going back there." Damon said.

"I don't think it'll happen again Damon. Can I remove it?" she asked Alaric.

"Does it still hurt?" Alaric asked. "Are you feeling better?"

"The pain is gone," Elena said.

Alaric hesitated, staring at her. "You should be able to," he finally said.

Elena removed the ring and gave it to him. "Thank you. You've done nothing but help me since you came to town, and now this. I can never repay you."

"Don't try to, Elena. Just make it back to Mystic Falls with me. Don't make me face Jenna unless you're standing right beside me."

Elena nodded, suppressing a laugh, and took Sarah's hand, then Damon's. "Isobel, join us?" she said as she started walking towards the door.


	58. The Vampires and Elena

_You know the drill – story mine, major improvements via Beta by Peachie X, flaws mine. Let's get it on..._

Angry Vampires

Sarah opened the door with her free hand, her other continued to be held firmly by Elena.

"Mom? Would you come to the door?"

Natalie came, breathing a sigh of relief. "Sarah, I was so worried."

"Don't come through." Sarah said quickly. "Stay inside."

"Then you…" Natalie said and nodded inside. She was afraid to say the words with vampires there.

"I can't, Mom. I have to go talk to the vampires."

Natalie looked at Elena, her face stern. "Are you hurt? You look fine."

Elena hesitated. She did not want Natalie to think everything was fine. Nor did she want her to do anything rash trying to protect Sarah.

Damon, who had been glaring at Natalie, spoke before Elena answered. "What? Upset that you didn't get her? Even though she can't bite back – like me?"

Elena tuned to him and spoke sharply, though softly. "Damon, don't! It wasn't her." She took a calming breath and spoke to Natalie.

"Sylvia attacked me." Elena tried to keep her face blank and her voice steady. "I nearly died – I would have if not for my friends."

"But you didn't." Natalie said, her face still stern. "Sarah helped you, and now you threaten her with vampires?"

"They're here to protect me from another attack," Elena replied. "I won't let them hurt Sarah."

"Not yet, anyway." Damon said. Elena glared and jabbed him with her elbow. Natalie glanced at him before looking back at Elena.

"You think you can control them? Let her come back in where it's safe." Natalie's expression had changed, maybe a little desperate.

Isobel spoke now, glaring at Natalie "It's not safe in there - not after you tried to kill my daughter."

"It wasn't her!" both Elena and Sarah claimed at the same time, turning to Isobel.

Isobel continued to glare at Natalie. "Wasn't it?"

"No." Natalie said quickly, shaking her head.

"Then tell whoever it was that because they hurt Elena Gilbert, they now have two armies of vampires that will do anything it takes to hunt them down and destroy them."

Elena could tell that Isobel's words startled Natalie. "Threats? We can defend ourselves." Natalie said, though Elena could see she was shaken.

"I'm sure you can," Isobel said icily. "The only one here who couldn't was Elena, but she was attacked. She's not alone and defenseless anymore. Now you'll see who is protecting her."

"She didn't know." Elena said to Isobel. She was trying to stay calm, thinking there was too much emotion being displayed.

"What did she need to know, Elena?" Damon asked, turning to her. "That they shouldn't lie or that they shouldn't kill? Even I know that. She knew. She needed to care."

Elena had barely turned to look at Damon when Isobel spoke.

"You did not come here as a sacrifice," Isobel told Elena with the same icy expression. "we kept our promises."

"Sarah, don't go. Please." Natalie said desperately nodding towards the inside again.

Sarah turned to Elena. "Will they be left alone while we're gone, Elena? They will defend themselves."

"Don't threaten us." Isobel said to Sarah. "If anyone else is attacked, this house will burn at sundown."

"Long before then." Damon said angrily. "They don't deserve to see the night again."

Elena thought Natalie began saying something under her breath.

"Mom, don't!" Sarah said sharply to Natalie. When Natalie stopped and looked at her, she added "We don't need it now, and they don't need to know what we can do."

Elena turned to Isobel. "No more threats." Then back to Damon. "No more."

Then she turned to Natalie, "Some vampires will have to stay here, but you know they cannot enter your house uninvited. They will have to be where they can be seen by you, but I promise they will keep their distance. They will just be waiting for me to come back. Please leave them alone. Sarah will be safe with us. We will be back long before noon. OK?"

Natalie looked at Sarah.

"I have to try to make it right." Sarah said. "She's right, they kept their promises. I trust Elena to do what she says she will."

Natalie's expression changed as she turned to Elena, it hardened. "I'm trusting you, Elena Gilbert. If Sarah is hurt, nothing will keep us from you."

"Mom!" Sarah said. "Get a clue! Do you think she's afraid of threats? Aunt Sylvia already tried to kill her, but here she is again. She's protected by vampires. Quit trying to intimidate her. Let's just try working with her."

Natalie closed her eyes and forced herself to nod. She still looked strained when she opened her eyes and spoke to Elena.

"Back before noon. We'll do as you ask as long as you're back before noon."

* * *

Caring Vampire

"She's just worried about me Elena." Sarah said as they left the porch. "She won't do anything to cause trouble. But when she says she and my aunt can defend themselves, she's right. They would take a lot of vampires with them – if not all."

Elena stopped and looked at Sarah, surprised at what almost sounded like a threat. Then Elena looked to where Isobel should have been. Isobel and Damon were a few yards in front of them whispering to each other. It looked like they were arguing.

"I'll take your word for it, Sarah," Elena said finally turning away from the whisperers and towards Sarah. "I'll do everything I can to keep anyone from having to defend themselves."

Damon and Isobel returned to them. Isobel stopped next to Sarah, Damon scooped Elena up and carried her quickly to an isolated corner of the yard. It was so quick that Sarah gasped.

"Don't be alarmed," Isobel said to Sarah. "they just need to talk. Look." she added pointing to where Damon was setting Elena down.

"Let's go wait with Bonnie and Rick," Isobel added, pointing to where Bonnie and Alaric waited.

Sarah noticed that Isobel's tone was not hostile or icy - hardly warm, but much nicer than before. After one more quick glance back to where Elena was, she started walking towards Bonnie. As Isobel walked next to her, Sarah was glad that Isobel did not touch her.

"Damon, please. I need to stay with Sarah," Elena said, trying to get around him. "I don't want her to be alone with Isobel."

Damon held on to her arm and pointed to where they were walking. "She's fine. She'll be with Bonnie and Rick in a minute."

Elena remained tense. "Then we need to go to the cars. We can't stop here."

"Elena," Damon said, pulling her to face him. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Let me go." Elena was struggling, but Damon had a firm grip on both of her arms.

"I know you're 'fine'. I asked if you are all right. Are you still hurting?"

"Damon, I got zapped by a witch and almost died. And it hurt a lot more then I would have ever thought. How do you think I'm doing?" Elena had stopped struggling but was still agitated. She turned her head to break eye contact.

"I know exactly how you're doing Elena," Damon said soothingly. "that's exactly what happened to me, except that you did die."

Elena looked at him now, but did not speak. She still couldn't relax.

"What did you do when it happened to me, Elena? Do you remember?"

Elena saw the concern on his face and realized something. He was right, the same thing had happened to him. He had been through it. He did know what she was going through. His words weren't empty attempts to comfort her, they meant something.

She still felt a little tense, but she took the question seriously. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and tried to remember.

"I sent everyone away." Elena said, her eyes still closed, her voice calm. "I gave you blood and waited for you to get strong enough to go home with me and wait for Katherine."

"That's right," Damon said, releasing her arms and pulling her chin to draw her eyes to his. "You need to stop and rest for a few minutes."

She was still tense as she looked back into his eyes. "But we don't have time." she said softly.

"We have enough, Elena. It's barely 8:30 - we have hours." Damon paused and pulled her into a hug. "You need to rest and get yourself together."

It took a minute, but Elena finally let herself relax in his arms. When he felt it, he pulled her face to him and kissed her. "Let's sit for a minute."

Elena could feel herself relaxing now. She sat down and drew her knees to her chest. She laid her head on her knees, turning it to watch as Damon sat next to her. He rubbed her back with one hand.

"Does that hurt?" he asked.

"No. Don't stop."

"You let me rest until I was stronger," Damon said softly, almost in a whisper. "until I was able to go with you. You need to rest until you feel better and calm down." Damon continued to rub her back as he leaned over and gave her another kiss.

"I didn't kiss you then," Elena said.

"You would have, if I had asked, wouldn't you?"

Elena laughed as she sat up and leaned her head against his shoulder. The mini-back rub had helped – she was feeling better.

"Probably. I was about to give you my blood. I would have done anything you asked of me, anything to help you get better."

Damon had his arm around her, rubbing her arm. "But I didn't ask for it. I was a fool."

"You were hurt, Damon. You asked for what you needed. I'm glad I could help."

"And you, Elena? Does it still hurt?"

The thought of the previous pain made her wince a little before answering. "It's not sharp pain, not anymore. But I'm still sore."

"I've never been so scared," Damon said softly.

Elena turned her head to look at him. "Scared? You're not afraid of anything."

Damon shook his head. "I didn't used to be. There was nothing for me to be afraid of, no one for me to be afraid for until you showed up. Now I know what I'm afraid of - I'm afraid of losing you."

Elena managed to slip her arm around his waist as she spoke again, "You didn't lose me Damon."

Damon's eyes were closed now. "Yes I did. You were gone and I wanted to be gone as well."

"Don't say that Damon." Elena said, almost in a whisper.

"Aren't we still telling the truth to each other?" Damon asked, looking at her intently now. "I need to know if the truth between us is on vacation."

Elena held his eyes. "It's not. But, what you're saying is scaring me."

Damon turned his head to face forward, but kept his arm around her. "You're not afraid of anything either, Elena, especially not the truth and the truth is that wherever you go, if I am not right next to you, I'll follow as quickly as I can." He dropped his arm and turned to face her again. "You're not going to have to face anything alone. Not again."

Elena held his eyes. "I wasn't alone, Damon and you can't go everywhere with me."

"But I can be close, Elena. I can follow. I won't lose you again."

Elena closed her eyes and let out a breath, wondering why she felt desperate to make him understand. "Damon, you didn't lose me. Alaric kept me alive. He and I are both alive because of Emily Bennett. A witch is a good thing to have on your side."

She almost felt guilty for mentioning witches to him. She glanced at his eyes briefly to make sure his expression had not changed. It hadn't. She leaned over to place her head on Damon's lap. He immediately began stroking her hair as he spoke again.

"Emily Bennett was not a normal witch," Damon said.

Elena was relieved that he didn't seem upset. "She wasn't so different from these, Damon."

"She protected you, Elena. These hurt you." Damon said as pulled the hair behind her ear and let his fingers continue to move under her chin.

"Neither knew what they were doing, Damon. Emily didn't know who she was protecting. These didn't know who they were hurting."

Damon's fingers stopped. Elena though she could feel a slight tension in them, but it was immediately gone.

"How could they not know what they were doing, Elena?" Damon asked. "Are they idiot witches?"

Elena bristled, but forced it away. She pulled at Damon's hand until he started stroking her face again. "Maybe one. But we can't lose the others because of one."

"I don't care who loses who because of whom, Elena. Whatever happens, I'm not losing you again."

Elena was whispering now. She felt tears starting to form. "Damon, I'm here. You haven't lost me. No one's lost anyone. I'm going to keep it that way."

Damon wanted to say more about the frustration he was feeling, but he could tell that it was upsetting her. She was supposed to be relaxing.

"All right, no one's lost anyone." he said softly. "We're both here now, and I will not leave your side until this is over."

Elena exhaled. "That I can agree with. I'll get Sarah to invite you in, after I get Katherine to let her live."

Elena sighed. Her head still on his lap, she tried to turn to see into his eyes. "You'll help me with Katherine, right? Help her see that I have to go back into their house – that we can't let this be the end."

"I'll help you with anything, Elena," Damon whispered, pushing her head back into what he thought would be a more comfortable position for her. "for as long as you let me stay next to you. No one's getting through me to hurt you again. Now, close your eyes and try to rest."

She closed her eyes and placed her hand on his, which had move to her neck, to hold it in place.

"OK, but just for a minute. We'll have to face Katherine soon."


	59. Promises and Doubts

_Your luck is holding. Peachie X still acts as Beta for this. Pray that it continues, we all need her keep to me straight..._

Witches and Promises

Sarah was told that Damon was trying to get Elena to take a break and clear her head before having to face Katherine, so she took the chance to speak with Bonnie.

"You've only known for a year?" Sarah asked Bonnie. "I've always known – surrounded by witches from the beginning. It must have been a shock to find out as a teen."

Bonnie nodded. "It was. Then my grams died and Elena and I were just finding out about vampires at the same time."

Sarah looked directly at Bonnie and asked "Is it hard to help Elena, knowing what she does for them?"

"I don't really know what she does for them."

Sarah stared at Bonnie. Her shock was apparent in her voice. "You help her without knowing? She pledged her loyalty – she could be doing anything. Who knows what this vampire has made her do?"

"You don't know her, Sarah." Bonnie said defensively. "I trust her. I mean, I know she sticks up for vampires sometimes when I think she's wrong, but she sticks up for me when she thinks I'm wrong."

Sarah wasn't convinced. "But an oath to a vampire. An oath to a demon? I know you said she did it for you, but I don't see how she can be …well, good…when she made an oath to a vampire."

Bonnie scowled defensively. "Emily Bennett, my ancestor, made the same oath to the same vampire." When Bonnie saw Sarah's look of surprise, she added, "Katherine saved her life, so she pledged her loyalty. I don't understand it, I don't like it, but I don't bring it up. Elena reminds me that Emily did what Katherine asked and still helped Mystic Falls fight vampires."

Sarah was silent briefly before asking "Can I trust Elena? Have I screwed this up by agreeing to talk to this vampire-oath girl? Will she lead me into a trap or make a deal they won't keep?"

Bonnie glared at Sarah now. "Can you trust her? Can she trust you? Did you know what would happen?"

"No!" Sarah said quickly. "I did not know my aunt would do that."

Bonnie continued to stare at Sarah. "I know you've got major powers, Sarah, compared to me. I'm new and I'm still learning. I can handle some vampires, but not all. Maybe you can handle any one of them, but there will be a lot of vampires here if Elena can't smooth this over. As much as I dislike Isobel, her threats weren't empty – Katherine would do anything to protect Elena, and since she's helping Nathaniel, he might as well."

Sarah wasn't sure what Bonnie meant, but felt threatened, so she glared as she responded. "That sounds like a threat. Would you help vampires attack us?"

"No." Bonnie said, shaking her head. "I only protect Elena. I can tell you that every vampire and every person who did threaten her is dead. None of them got to her. Between me and the vampires, she has been kept safe. The only thing that has threatened her and still lives is your aunt, and she did more than just threaten Elena."

"She won't do it again." Sarah claimed. "My mom can stop her, even if I can't."

Bonnie noticed that Sarah seemed to be getting upset. She tried to soften her tone.

"I'm sorry," Bonnie said. "I didn't mean to get upset, but Elena is my best friend and I was standing right next to her but couldn't help her. I can help her escape 50 vampires, but I can't keep her safe around witches – my own kind."

Sarah was surprised again. "Help her escape vampires? I thought she was working for vampires."

"Vampires sometimes fight each other, Sarah, and since Elena has a strong tie to Katherine, she has been a target of others. At least I get to fight those that attack her." Bonnie smiled as she remembered recent events. "Not long ago we trapped a lot in a fire. It was satisfying to hear their screams."

Sarah stared at Bonnie now, almost in disbelief. "I get that you think Elena is good and that you protect her, but I'm starting to wonder about you."

Bonnie wasn't fazed. "Yeah. Elena wonders about me sometimes. Vampires have caused me and Mystic Falls nothing but harm. My family is gone because of them. I don't like them and I never will. I don't trust them either but Katherine and hers are as protective of Elena as I am." Bonnie made sure she had eye contact with Sarah. "And now, I need you to tell me that you will protect her."

"Me? Protect her? Vampires, you and Alaric aren't enough?"

"We weren't this morning. Tell me you won't let your family hurt her again."

"I don't even know her, but she was talking about protecting me this morning."

Bonnie was almost glaring again. "You may not know her, but she doesn't know you either. Yet, even after she was hurt in your house, her biggest concern is how to keep you alive when you go with her to meet Katherine and are surrounded by vampires. Does that not tell you anything about her?"

Sarah didn't respond right away, so Bonnie continued. "You don't have to fear these vampires while she is with you. Does she need to fear your family of witches when you are with her?"

Sarah understood now and shook her head. "I swear. I will not let anything else happen to her – not in my house. She will be safe there, with me."

* * *

Phones and Tempers

Bonnie could see Elena and Damon starting to walk towards them when Isobel spoke to her. "Bonnie, Elena would like you to meet her about half way." Isobel pointed in the direction.

"Alone?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes. Damon will keep coming and you two can talk alone."

"Can I go too?" Sarah asked Bonnie. "I'd like to talk to her away from the vampires as well."

Bonnie had started to leave, but stopped and looked back at Isobel.

"Damon? The blonde witch as well?" Isobel asked in a normal tone looking at him.

Bonnie could see Damon ask Elena. She didn't see or hear a response.

"Yes." Isobel said. "She'll talk to both of you."

Sarah didn't really understand what had happened. Bonnie had to take her hand and pull her along, saying "Come on. Now that she's up, she'll want to get moving quickly."

Sarah watched Damon as he released Elena's hand. Elena had stopped at the halfway point. Damon kept walking.

"Don't try anything." he growled as he walked past them without looking. Sarah stopped briefly to look at him, Bonnie just scowled and kept walking, pulling Sarah along.

They noticed that Elena did look better. She seemed relaxed and calm. She nodded to Sarah, then spoke to Bonnie.

"Do you have your phone? Is it charged?"

"Sure." Bonnie answered.

Elena was suddenly nervous as she looked into Bonnie's eyes. "Please don't get mad and please don't say 'no' right away."

Elena was hesitating enough that Bonnie asked "What is it?"

Elena swallowed and then finally spoke. "I'd like you to go into the house and wait with Sarah's mom while we're gone. I'll call you and leave my phone on so you all can hear what is said."

Elena glanced at Sarah, who looked like she was not understanding, and back at Bonnie whose look was one of disbelief.

"Elena, I'm not sure it's a good idea," Bonnie said.

"Katherine and Damon could hear them when we were in their house. I think they should hear us when Sarah is with the vampires and me. I hope it will make them feel better, trust us more."

Bonnie remembered the microphone Elena had worn and glanced to where it had been. "The mike's gone."

Elena nodded. "Damon took it off me – I'm not sure when. I don't know how much they heard." Elena said, sounding a little embarrassed. "But I think we should do the same for Sarah's family."

"Elena, we're making concessions they haven't asked for?" Bonnie disagreed. "We were the ones betrayed. They should be making concessions."

"You weren't…" Sarah started to interrupt, but stopped. She knew it was true, at least from Bonnie's perspective.

Elena glanced at Sarah and waited to be sure she was done before turning back to Bonnie. "I know, Bonnie and I know it's a lot to ask of you. But Natalie liked you. If Sarah will call her and get her to agree to have you there as well as tell her they will be able to hear us, I think it will help." Elena looked at Sarah now – almost sternly. "You need to get them to agree that Bonnie would be safe in there as well."

Sarah looked a bit surprised. "The vampires will let you have your phone on so my mom can listen?"

Bonnie spoke before Elena answered, but still stared at Elena. "You'd be surprised at what Elena can get them to let her do. It sounds like a hostage exchange, Elena. I'm not OK with being a hostage."

Elena closed her eyes and tensed. "No, Bonnie. It's a trust thing. They need to know we are still willing to take risks to trust them. I'll ask Alaric to go with you if you like."

Bonnie shook her head. "While you were doing whatever on Damon's lap, Isobel spoke to Katherine. She's expecting Alaric to be with you when you go there. She wants to talk to him, so he won't be able to go with me."

Bonnie could tell that Elena was disappointed. "I'm sorry," Elena said. "then there's no one else."

"You would be OK in there," Sarah said quickly. "I'm sure my mom will agree, and if she can hear Elena and me while we're with the vampires, she will feel better. She's scared to death because of what happened and for me."

Bonnie looked and Sarah and saw no deception. She turned back to Elena.

"Is it really something you would want them to hear? No one you're going to will be happy about this. They will threaten Sarah and the others for what happened. Even if you can smooth it over, they'll hear a lot of ugliness."

Elena nodded. "They have to, Bonnie. We can't hide what the vampires are from them, and we wouldn't want to. They have to know, whether or not we can work this out."

Bonnie nodded. "OK. I'll go." she said, though Elena could hear the hesitation.

Elena gave Sarah her cell phone and pulled Bonnie a few steps away while Sarah called her mother.

"I would also like you to tell me what they're saying about it all," Elena whispered to Bonnie. "I'm hoping they will speak freely around you."

Bonnie just stared at Elena and expressed the frustration she felt she had to hold back when Sarah was listening. "Elena, they hurt you, and now I'm going back in there alone?"

"I know it's a lot to ask, Bonnie, especially when I've asked for so much already. I really think you'll be OK there. Don't you?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah. I just have to get over wanting to kill them for hurting you."

Elena hesitated, then asked "So you'll go?"

"Yeah. It'll probably be better than being surrounded by vampires."

"She agreed," Sarah interrupted. "and she's grateful, Elena. She really appreciates this. She promised me Bonnie will be safe with them. She can keep that promise, she is every bit as powerful as my aunt."

Elena nodded and said "OK." She stared at Sarah as she said, "Bonnie, will you give us a minute?"

Bonnie didn't look happy about it, but she nodded and walked back to wait with the others.

"I had a chance to think about all of this Sarah, and I'm having doubts. Do you really want this?"

Sarah was surprised at being doubted. "Yes, Elena. I do."

"I'm not sure about your mother, but your aunt seems to disagree. Do you know why?"

Sarah hesitated and closed her eyes briefly before responding. "Elena, I'm really sorry about what she did. She never said anything against this, she just stayed quiet when I brought it up. It was a long time ago, but her husband was killed by a vampire."

Elena continued to stare at Sarah. "That's no reason to attack me."

"I know. It was unexpected. My mom and I won't let it happen again."

"That won't be enough Sarah. The vampires we're going to, take the agreements they make seriously. I hope it doesn't come up, but they're likely to talk about a price to be paid for what happened."

Sarah stared at Elena, stunned. "You're fine, aren't you?"

"That may not matter Sarah. I won't say anything, I'm just warning you about what might happen."

Sarah's stare was turning into a glare. "I'm starting to have doubts. What are you? Everyone here, human, witch and vampire obviously does what you say. You're obviously with Damon. We were told a 'normal' girl would come and talk to us. Instead we get you. Whatever you are, it's not normal. I'm told you work for the vampires, but it looks like they work for you."

Elena started to glare back at her. "The vampires don't work for me, they work for Katherine just like I do. They may defer to me when I'm working for her, but only because of her. Bonnie and Alaric just help me when I ask. And yes, I'm with Damon, but that's no reason to get bitchy. I didn't ask to come here and I'm trying to help you." Elena was yelling now. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths.

She opened her eyes and spoke to Sarah calmly now. "Are you in? Is this for real? I need to know before I send Bonnie into your house. Before I try to convince what will be a very unhappy group of vampires that this is worth it. Tell me now, Sarah."

Sarah had to calm herself as well. "Yes, Elena. This is for real. I think we need this."

Elena nodded and voiced her only remaining question. "How did you set this up, Sarah? How did you even know who to contact?"

"I ran into someone and figured out he was a vampire, so I followed him. I was going to just take him out when we weren't around people. I expected him to attack someone, but he just went from place to place doing normal things. He didn't attack anyone. It made me curious, so I talked to him rather than attacking. He was kind of a jerk at first, but when I showed him who I was and got him talking, he put me in touch with Nathaniel. Nathaniel sounded reasonable and he seemed to want some kind of arrangement with us, but he didn't trust us any more than we trusted him. Then he told me about you – someone who was not a vampire that he would trust to speak for them. We were able to come to an agreement and set the meeting up."

Elena nodded. "You said something about taking out the vampire. Do you do that often?"

"No." Sarah said. "I don't go looking for trouble, Elena, but I have come across it a few times and had to take action. I don't like it, and neither does my mom, but we know what vampires can do." Sarah hesitated before adding, "You said some vampires help you keep the bad ones out of your town?"

"Yes."

"If we can have that here, I think we need to try."

Elena nodded and starting walking towards the cars. "Then let's go. I'm sure Katherine will think she's waited long enough, and I already have enough to explain to her."

"Oh," Elena added as an afterthought, "you should know that Katherine looks just like me."


	60. Witches and Vampires and Elena and Sarah

_Peachie X continues to bless us with her Beta services on this story. Hope she doesn't decide to curse us instead - I will probably just follow her blindly into it..._

Witches' Truce

Bonnie hesitated as she approached the porch. She had been in the house for only a few minutes earlier in the day when things turned bad.

The door opened as she stood, thinking.

"Please come in," Natalie said. "it really is safe for you here."

"And Sylvia?"

"She just snapped, Bonnie. She is sorry for what she did."

"I need for her to tell me that." Bonnie said.

"It'll be hard for her, she doesn't admit it when she's wrong. But she will – she really is glad that Elena is unharmed."

"Unharmed? It took a magic ring to save her, and she was in a lot of pain. I'm not sure she is back to 100% yet, but she still has to talk to the vampires and try to get them to let her keep working on this."

Natalie closed her eyes and nodded her head. "All right but she is sorry she did it. She promised me she will not act so rashly again." Natalie hesitated before asking, "Do you really think Sarah is safe?"

"She's safe," Bonnie replied, with a fairly cold stare, "as long as Elena wants her to be safe. Right now, that's what Elena wants. I have no doubt they will be back by noon."

Natalie nodded. "So please come in. Tell me about this ring you say saved her."

Bonnie entered and followed Natalie to a kitchen table where Sylvia was sitting. Sylvia did not speak and Bonnie could not read her expression. She decided to concentrate on Natalie as she pulled her phone out and placed it on the table.

"Elena will call when they arrive."

"I really appreciate this." Natalie said sincerely. "We really appreciate this."

"Elena insisted," Bonnie replied. "but it won't be pleasant. The vampires will make a lot of noise, threats. But Katherine promised Elena that Sarah will be safe. She keeps her promises to Elena. So whatever is said, remember, they will listen to Elena."

"I could see that watching them from the window and when she was with them on our doorstep. I will keep my promise to her as well. Now you said something about her being alive because of a ring?"

Bonnie decided she was really interested in the ring so she started.

"Yes. It's something Emily Bennett did for a couple of Elena's ancestors," Bonnie began.

* * *

Vampire's Response 

"Don't get out until I'm at the door waiting for you," Elena told Sarah as she left the car. Elena had been sitting behind Isobel, who was driving, with Damon between her and Sarah.

As Isobel left the car, Elena pulled her aside. "Damon has already promised. I need you to promise to protect Sarah while we're in there."

Isobel stared coldly at Elena. "My loyalty is to Katherine, not to witches. Yours should be as well."

"Please." Elena pleaded. "I'm asking as a favor to me. Katherine has already guaranteed her safety."

Isobel continued to stare. "Then why do you need me? I would not protect anyone from Katherine except for maybe you - maybe. Not her."

"Not from Katherine, from anyone else that is in there. Those that came with us are all back at the house. I don't know if she will be able to control whoever is in there with her. Please, as a favor for me."

Isobel stared at Elena. Her harsh expression softened as she remembered that Bonnie had done a favor for her, though Elena probably did not know that.

"As a favor for you," Isobel responded, "from anyone but Katherine."

"Thank you," Elena said giving Isobel a hug (which was not returned) before circling the car to open the door for Sarah. Damon and Alaric with her now. She called Bonnie as she opened the door.

Stay between me and Isobel," Elena said. "Let me do the talking unless she talks to you."

Sarah had watched Elena become more and more upset – running around trying to protect her. She finally had to speak.

"Elena," Sarah said. "You don't have to worry about me. I told you I've fought vampires before – never lost. I can take care of myself."

"You don't know who's in there. They won't care that it wasn't you that attacked me – just that it happened."

"That doesn't bother you?" Sarah asked. "Is that what you work for?"

Elena looked at Sarah. She was calm, there was no trace of the fear or nervousness that Elena felt. "Katherine will eventually do what's right, and she won't hurt you but she will threaten you and your family. Didn't you say your mother was worried about you?"

Sarah nodded. "She's my mother. It's her job to worry about me. I could put a protection spell around us now before we go in."

"No!" Elena said quickly. "No spells, the vampires may feel threatened. Let Katherine vent, let her say what she wants. She won't hurt either of us, but she will get ugly."

Sarah was genuinely confused. "If she won't hurt us, why do you seem so afraid, Elena?"

"There will be a lot of them and they're fast. Don't think you will see them before they hit you."

Sarah nodded. "I've seen their speed Elena. I get it, they're a threat to me, but you say they won't hurt me and they seem to do what you say."

"At least be polite." Elena muttered as she pulled Sarah behind her and pushed Damon to get him to enter.

They entered a house, about the size of her own. It had a "For Sale" sign in front. Elena was a little surprised that no one had come out to meet them. Damon led the way into the house.

Katherine was waiting in a large living room. It was sparsely furnished – a number of chairs and a desk with what Elena thought was the equipment Katherine had used to listen in on. There were five or six others in the room, but they did not approach. Katherine, who had been sitting at the desk arose and came towards the group, her face wearing the expected glare.

Elena held on firmly to Sarah's hand with one hand, the other tried to position the phone so that at least Katherine, Elena and Sarah could be heard.

Sarah did let out a slight gasp. Katherine did look just like Elena. The clothing and hair were different, but everything else was the same – except the expression. Katherine's cold eyes were looking straight at Sarah.

Elena hesitated, but seeing that Katherine was glaring at Sarah, she spoke. "I'm fine."

Katherine's eyes left Sarah, moving to Elena's then to the phone she held before returning to Elena.

"Really, Elena? Fine? Did my equipment malfunction, because I heard you dying."

Elena spoke softer, more deliberately, "I'm fine."

Katherine stared at Elena briefly before saying "Please allow me to speak with the witch now, Elena. She must be allowed to speak for herself."

Katherine turned back to Sarah, glare intact.

"Sarah Proctor." Katherine said coldly. "Were your ancestors in Salem in the late 1600s?"

Sarah nodded. She was taken aback by Katherine's glare, though from what Elena had said, something like it was expected. It was unsettling that Katherine looked so much like Elena, but was so different.

"Please speak clearly," Katherine said. "Elena's phone will only hear your words."

Sarah found that she had to deliberately control her voice to keep it calm. "Yes."

"In fact," Katherine continued. "a Proctor is on the list of those that were executed in Salem. Is that not correct?"

"Yes." Sarah said, then added "It is correct."

"An ancestor of yours?"

"Yes."

"How do you feel about that? Do you feel your ancestor was treated justly? Dying for the 'crime' of witchcraft?"

"No, of course not." Sarah's voice was not as strong as she would have liked.

"And why is that? What was unjust about it?" Katherine's glare was intact and could be heard in her voice. Katherine's glare was getting to Sarah after all.

"He hadn't hurt anyone. They killed him for what he was, not for what he did."

"So you understand that people should be punished for what they do, not for what they are. Exactly what did Elena do that she deserved to die at the hand of witches?"

Sarah looked at Elena before responding. She mostly wanted a break from the glare. "Nothing, but she didn't die."

Katherine looked at Isobel, "Didn't she, Isobel?"

"She did." Isobel responded. Her voice held no emotion.

"Damon?" Katherine asked, turning to him. "You were there? Did Elena die at the hands of a witch?"

Damon's glare matched Katherine's. "She died. You know it, I know it and Elena knows it."

"She died." Katherine said, glaring at Sarah again. "So I ask again, what did she do?"

Sarah was understanding why Elena was concerned. She hadn't see anything like Katherine's attitude in the other Vampires. Was it because they seemed to follow Elena, but Katherine didn't?

"Nothing. It was a mistake." Sarah was losing control of her voice.

"Mistakes can be deadly," Katherine said. "perhaps you're making another one now."

Elena couldn't help interrupting now. "You promised she would not be harmed."

Katherine looked at Elena as she responded. "And she promised you would be treated well. Her broken promise breaks ours to them."

Elena shook her head. "No! You promised me, not them. All I ask is that you keep your promise to me."

Katherine glared at Elena in silence for a minute, then looked to Isobel. "Surely you could have done better raising her, taught her to not interrupt."

"Left her with Gilberts," Isobel said in the calmest voice that had spoken during the encounter.

"My parents did fine." Elena said. "I promised her safety as you promised me. I know you will keep that promise."

Katherine continued to glare at Elena. "You do know what I will do Elena. Tell my why she is here if her promises are empty."

"She's here to apologize and to keep us talking." Elena said.

Katherine turned back to Sarah. "Do you know what has happened to anyone who has tried to hurt Elena?"

"Yes," Sarah replied. Her voice was getting stronger. Elena had been right – threats and noise, but nothing else. "Bonnie told me."

"I see no reason for this time to be different." Katherine said.

"Because I told her it would," Elena said desperately. "I told her we would keep talking, that we would keep trying to reach an agreement."

"Another promise for them to break. Why would I accept that?" Katherine asked.

"Not you," Elena said quickly. "you don't have to accept it. I speak for Nathaniel."

"You presume too much." Katherine said, continuing to glare at Elena.

"No." Elena's eyes moved to follow the voice of a vampire that had approached them. His voice was without emotion. "Nathaniel was informed that you completely trust Elena Gilbert. We will trust her on this."

Katherine spoke to the other vampire, her voice still harsh. "Nathaniel does not have the power to send her back in to talk to them. I do. Only I can send her back into danger." Elena winced at this statement.

Sarah noted the harshness Katherine used with the other vampire, and was impressed by his lack of response.

"The agreement is to let her deal with the witches," the vampire said. Elena thought she recognized him as the one who had previously given her an envelope for Katherine. "We will trust her to continue to act for us."

Elena looked at him and said a soft "Thank you." He nodded at her before slipping away from the group again.

"Elena," Katherine's glare was gone, but her words were still cold. "why do you trust them? How do you expect me to trust them after what they did to you?"

Elena felt better now that Katherine seemed to be over the threatening to kill them stage. "Why do you have to trust them? Aren't you dealing with people you don't trust now?"

Katherine glared at Elena again. "Act for Nathaniel as you will, as I agreed. But know that when they hurt you, they did not hurt Nathaniel, they hurt me. There's a price to be paid."

Elena sighed. "I know." she said softly.

Katherine turned to Sarah. "I will not let her go in again without vampires."

Elena had not mentioned the subject to Sarah. She turned to her. "I need to have Damon go in with me."

Sarah started to agree when Katherine interrupted.

"At least two" Katherine said, her voice remaining cold.

"It wouldn't have mattered" Elena argued. "I don't think they would have been able to stop her."

"Are you trying to convince me to let you go in or to keep you out?" Katherine asked Elena harshly.

Elena looked at Katherine who was glaring at her again. She spoke softly, trying to sound contrite. "In. I have to go back in."

"At least two," Katherine repeated, looking back at Sarah. "and Sarah Proctor must swear an oath to me that she will protect you."

"I've already made that promise." Sarah said quickly.

"To Elena?" Katherine asked.

"To Bonnie."

"Not good enough. Make it to me now," Katherine demanded.

Sarah was amazed at Katherine's mood swings. She hesitated and looked at Elena, who nodded. "I swear I will protect Elena while she is in my house with me."

"While she is anywhere with you." Katherine said sharply.

Sarah's respect and empathy for Elena were increasing she saw what Elena had to deal with. She quickly nodded. "Anywhere with me. I will protect her whenever and wherever she is while she is with me."

Katherine looked back at Elena. Her expression completely changed now – she looked normal. "I also insist that Alaric Saltzman, to whom I am now greatly in debt," she turned to meet Alaric's eyes briefly and nodded to him, then turned back at Elena, "I insist that Alaric Saltzman also accompany you and stay at your side."

"He should just give her the ring," Damon said.

"No," Elena said. "they won't attack me again."

"Elena…" Damon started to argue, but stopped when she shook her head.

"Two vampires and Alaric Saltzman, Elena. No less." Katherine wasn't glaring but was insistent.

"I promise," Elena responded. "No less."

"You will also need to wear the microphone again. Where is it?"

Elena looked at Damon who removed it from his pocket and gave it to her. She replaced it and spoke into it as Katherine placed something in her ear and listened.

Katherine nodded. "I can hear you - that will work." Then she turned to Sarah and spoke with a blank face and calm tone.

"Your family will die eventually. The vampires in this room will live forever. If Elena is harmed by your family again, you all will be destroyed along with anyone with the name of Proctor we can find. The Proctor witches will not betray us again and live. Do you understand?"

Sarah was angered by the threat but decided to do what Elena had said – let her vent. She had to control her voice again to say "Yes. I understand."

"Good. Keep your promise – keep Elena safe." She turned to Elena. "Go now, you have just enough time to make it there by noon." Katherine returned to the desk without further comment.

"That went well." Damon said as they returned to the car.

"Well?" Sarah asked. "She threatened to kill everyone with my last name."

"You're still alive." Damon said, smirking. "I would have bet against that."

"Damon, please." Elena said. "She has made threats against my family too, Sarah. You said your family would keep their promise, that I can speak with them without being attacked again. And you'll invite Damon and Isobel into your house?"

"Yes," Sarah replied. "but what do you think they can do in there?"

"We can watch the witch that attacked Elena," Damon said. "If she so much as looks at Elena, you will see how fast we can get to her and break her neck."

Elena gave Damon a quick glare and held the door for Sarah. "Please just get in the car. We need to hurry."

Sarah obeyed, feeling she had to watch out for Elena now, as well as keep an eye on the vampires she would be inviting into her home.


	61. Not Again

_Peachie X continues to use some of her valuable time to act as Beta on this story. I continue to be grateful..._

Not Allowed

Elena closed the car door behind Sarah as Alaric entered the passenger side front seat. Elena was turning to enter the car on the other side when Damon trapped her against car between his arms.

"Damon?" Elena asked, giving him a quizzical look.

"We need to talk." Damon said.

"We're in a hurry. I promised them we would be back before noon."

"So call Bonnie, tell her we might be a few minutes late and give your phone to the witch so she can talk to her mother. We need to talk,"

Elena sighed. "About what?"

Damon moved one hand to remove the microphone from Elena and place it in his pocket. Elena watched, but did not move as he returned the hand to the car to trap her again.

"Katherine should go there instead of you." Damon said.

Elena did try to push his arm off now. "Damon, let me go. We need to leave."

Damon shook his head. "She could do it, Elena, she should."

"Do not think you can do this to me, Damon. Let me go!" Elena was getting mad now.

"Do not think I will let you go back to where someone tried to kill you without trying to at least talk you out of it." Damon said.

Elena met his eyes now. "I promised Damon."

"Katherine can do it."

Elena pulled her phone out. "All right. We'll talk, but just for a minute." She called Bonnie.

"Elena?" Bonnie asked, answering.

"Bonnie, we may be a few minutes late. Nothing has changed, but there will be a delay."

"Delay?"

"Yeah. I'm giving the phone to Sarah. Would you let her talk to her mother until we're ready to go? Tell them I'm really sorry, but we'll only be a couple of minutes. OK?"

"I will. They heard everything, I told them it would be harsh. They're waiting for you to come back to see what you say."

"Soon Bonnie. Here's Sarah."

Damon still had her pinned to the car, but backed off a little so she could turn around.

Elena shoved him as she opened the door. "If you ever do that again, it had better be because I want you to kiss me."

"You always want me to kiss you." Damon said as Elena passed the phone to Sarah.

"Talk to your mom for a minute? I need to clobber Damon."

Sarah, who had been watching the incident through the window, laughed and accepted the phone.

Elena purposely moved a few feet away from the car to face him.

"Damon, I have to go back in there. I made promises to Nathaniel, Katherine and Sarah."

"You're the only one here keeping promises, Elena."

"I'm still going to keep them. Besides, Bonnie knows when you are outside of her house. These witches would know if it was a vampire instead of me. How would you get them to invite her in anyway?"

"Compulsion, Elena."

"You don't think they have vervain?" Elena's voice was rising.

"I could bite the witch and find out."

"They know about it, Damon, Sarah mentioned it to me. So yeah, they probably have it if they are having vampire problems."

Damon looked down. All visible attitude was gone. "I don't think I can bear to let you go back in there, Elena."

Elena paused to take a good look at him. She could see that he wasn't just being a jerk. She softened "Don't you think Katherine's demands are enough? Two vampires?"

"I don't know." Damon said, meeting her eyes again. "I don't know what it's like in there."

"Damon, I have to. You'll be there, that's what you wanted, right?"

"That's at the bottom of a very long list of things I would rather have happen – like having Katherine go in there instead of you."

Elena shook her head. "It wouldn't work, and it wouldn't be protecting her, which I have to do."

Damon gave her a hard look now. "So you admit it's not safe for Katherine in there, but you're going?"

Elena shrugged. "I have to and I want to, Damon. Plus, everyone in the house will be looking out for me, including you. I couldn't be safer anywhere."

Elena could tell Damon was not convinced. "I am going in. Is there anything that would make you feel better about it?"

Damon nodded his head, "Yes. Let us give them a demonstration, Elena, as soon as we enter."

"Demonstration?"

"Describe the witch that attacked you. When Isobel and I see her, we will hit her from different directions before she can react."

"No, Damon." Elena said quickly. "I told you, no more threats. I won't let you touch them unless provoked."

"Provoked? That hasn't happened? What is provoked – when you stay dead?"

Elena expression turned hard again. "Damon, we're past that – you know what I mean. Not unless provoked again."

"We won't hurt her, just show them how fast we can get to her and break her neck. There may be some touching, but we won't hurt her."

"Damon, I don't think I want to start off that way."

"They started off by killing you." Damon's expression was hard now.

Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. "Damon I told you, we're past that. I'm not dead."

"You're past it. I'm still ready to kill someone because of what they did." When Damon saw Elena's expression, he added. "But I won't."

"Yet." Elena said almost bitterly.

"No Elena." He was speaking calmly now. "I might say 'yet' to the witches, but not to you. I won't do it because it's not what you want. But we at least need a demonstration – something to show them that we could do something to them, but that we aren't."

Elena sighed. "Saber rattling?"

Damon nodded.

Elena looked into the car at Sarah. She was still on the phone.

"Will I lose her support if we do?" Elena wondered out loud as she moved to stand next to Damon, who was also looking into the car.

"Do you really think you have it?" Damon asked.

Elena nodded. "Yes. Microphone please?" she said, holding her hand out.

Damon gave it to her. She replaced the mike and turned to look into his eyes. "No Damon. I understand what you're saying and why you want it, but I'm not going to enter their house and do anything but talk to them. I know what they did, but Nathaniel and Katherine trust me to do what I think is right. No demonstrations, no provocations. Please, you just stay next to me – watch the witches if you want, but stay next to me unless there really is a problem."

"I've never just stood by when you're in danger, Elena."

"I know. Do it for me this time. Please?"

Damon hesitated briefly, but nodded. Elena took his hand and let him lead her to the other side of the car. He climbed in before her, sitting between her and Sarah.

He entered first surprised Elena a little. She sat next to him and gave him a questioning look. As she leaned over to accept the phone back, Sarah asked "Is Katherine always like that?"

Elena shook her head slightly. "No. It's rare. Mostly when someone she cares about has been killed – or almost killed."

"Mostly." Sarah repeated.

"Yeah. Mostly." Elena confirmed as she sat straight again.

She turned to Damon and asked. "Why the middle again? Isn't it uncomfortable?"

Damon whispered to her "I'm staying between you and witches whenever I can."

* * *

Somebody Knows

Elena leaned over to talk to Sarah as the trip neared its end.

"Did your mother say anything? She's knows about having the vampires go in with me, right?"

Sarah nodded. "She knows. Bonnie helped convince her and she has seen that they do what you say."

"I do not do what Elena says." Damon said.

Sarah looked into his eyes. "From what I saw, even the baddest of you does what Elena says. It had better stay that way if I'm going to let you into my house."

Damon actually turned to Elena. "I do not just do what you say!"

Elena gave a quick smile towards Sarah and looked at Damon. "It would be easier if you did, but you will while were in their house won't you?"

"That depends." Damon claimed.

"No. While in their house, you will stay with me. Take a bullet for me if you must, but stay next to me, OK?" She was looking earnestly at him.

"Fine." Damon growled.

"Fine." Elena repeated.

"Fine" Sarah said, trying to suppress a smile. Then she gasped as she saw a motorcycle with two riders cross in front of them.

Isobel hit the brakes and swerved, the car sliding to a halt. Sarah did not know if the motorcycle had been hit or not.

Before anyone could blink a fist hit Isobel's door, jamming it. Then the door next to Elena was ripped off by one vampire when another grabbed Elena and began to carry her away.

Damon was instantly out of the car, but hit immediately with the door and tackled by the other vampire. Isobel was still trying to get her door open while Alaric was trying to reach his bag of supplies.

Sarah saw Damon getting hit with the door as he exited. When he was out of the way, she saw a vampire holding a struggling Elena, exposing her neck. She reacted immediately, casting a spell in Elena's direction. The vampire's mouth was just connecting with Elena's neck when he let out a yelp, cursed and dropped her to the pavement.

Isobel had managed to force her door open, ripping it off in the process. She hit the vampire before it could recover. Alaric, who held a dart in one hand and a stake in the other, was quickly with Isobel, trying to get the dart into the vampire.

Sarah ran to Elena as she scanned for others. Not seeing any, she turned to Elena, who was trying to push herself up.

"No. Stay down for a minute. You're bleeding. We need to make sure you're OK. Let me cast a protection spell." She immediately started chanting.

Elena was on her side and pushed herself to lie on her back as she heard Sarah cast the spell. She was starting to feel the scrapes on her arms, elbows and legs.

She turned head trying to see what was happening. She could see that Alaric had hit a vampire with a dart and was staking it as Isobel moved to help Damon.

Elena was sore from her fall, but felt no pain except where she thought she had cuts and scrapes. When she saw that a second vampire had been staked by Isobel, she tried to sit up again and was helped by Sarah.

"Find the rings or whatever." Isobel told Damon and Alaric. "Let the sun take them," she added as she scanned the area for others. She saw no one else.

Isobel went to the edge of the protection spell and looked at Sarah, trying not to glare.

"Let them in," Elena told Sarah. "They don't see any other danger."

"Like they saw this." Sarah said, almost grumbling, but she complied.

Damon was at Elena instantly, but backed away slightly when the scent of her blood hit him.

"We need to get her back to Katherine." He told Isobel.

"No, my house is close." Sarah said. "We have supplies to clean her up." Then she spoke to Elena, "Anything but cuts and bruises?"

Elena shook her head as Damon said "Murderers are in your house."

Isobel interceded. "Damon, she's right. We're exposed here – we need to go somewhere close."

"We need to get her out of this town and keep her as far away as possible," Damon yelled in frustration. "then nuke it," he added softly.

"He means we'll go to your house." Isobel told Sarah. "Can he bear your blood? Can he carry you while bleeding?" she asked Elena.

"Yes," Elena nodded.

"Then he can carry you and I'll carry Sarah."

Sarah was dubious. "Can't I just walk or run?"

"No." Elena said to Sarah, though looking at Isobel. She was amazed that one of the vampires had mentioned Sarah by her name.

She turned to Sarah then. "We need the speed. You'll be safe with her."

Sarah hesitated, until Isobel said "We need to move – Elena's in danger here." Sarah finally nodded.

"Ride on her back." Alaric told Sarah. "Otherwise, it'll look too weird."

Isobel shook her head at Alaric's comment, then spoke to him. "Will you get the car and the doors there? Do you remember where her house is?"

"I've been paying attention." Alaric said, looking to see where the doors were.

"Thank you. As fast as you can – Katherine wants you there with us."

"Fast too?" Alaric said, noting that the keys were in the car, that it was still running, and going to pick up the doors. "I'm leaving the bike."

"Fine" Isobel said as she helped Elena stand. As Damon picked Elena up and she turned to allow Sarah to climb on her back, she spoke in a low voice. "You know what this means."

"Yeah," Damon responded in a normal voice as they started to run. "Someone knows she's here."


	62. Sucks to be Her

_I probably don't need to tell you this, but Peachie X is still doing Beta on this story (and she continues to improve it...)_

The Invitation

As Damon and Isobel arrived at the Proctor house, several cars were pulling up. Katherine was out of the door of one and was immediately at Damon's side as they reached the doorstep.

"Wait." She said to Damon, looking at Elena.

"She's bleeding," Sarah said as Isobel let her down. "we need to get her taken care of."

"I think it's stopped." Elena said, still in Damon's arms.

"What happened, Elena?" Katherine asked. "I heard noises and screams and then Sarah and spells. What happened?"

"A vampire pulled me out of the car and was starting to bite me when he suddenly dropped me." Elena explained.

"Bite you?" Isobel asked, surprised. "Not just take you?"

Elena moved her head and pulled her hair aside so that the interrupted bite was clearly visible. "Bite me."

"They were out to kill you." Isobel said, shaking her head.

"What made him drop you?" Katherine asked, touching the marks on Elena's neck.

Elena looked at Sarah. "Protection spell?"

Sarah shook her head. "My mom and I created a spell for this – to get a vampire to let someone go. I'm sorry about the fall, but he was biting you."

"No, you're right," Elena said quickly, rubbing her neck. "I'd be dead otherwise."

"Other vampires." Katherine said softly to Isobel.

"Absolutely." Isobel replied.

Katherine looked at Elena, then Sarah, then spoke to Isobel. "I'll go in with Elena and Damon. Most of Nathaniel's that came with us are with me now. We'll leave our other two outside here along with one of Nathaniel's. You take the rest of Nathaniel's, start where you were attacked and spread out in pairs. See if there are any other vampires around that they do not know."

Isobel nodded to Katherine and looked at Elena. She sounded concerned as she said "I'll be back soon."

Elena nodded to Isobel as she turned to leave.

"Alaric?" Katherine asked Elena. Damon was finally letting Elena stand.

It was Damon who answered. "Bringing the damaged car. Should be here anytime."

Katherine nodded and spoke to Sarah. "Will you allow us in now?"

Sarah looked at Elena and whispered, "Elena? The threats."

Katherine spoke to Sarah before Elena could respond. "We need to get Elena inside where she'll be safe from uninvited vampires."

Sarah spoke to Katherine now. "You threatened my family."

"The threats applied if your family hurt Elena again. You kept her safe and I am grateful. I mean you no harm, but I need to be with her now."

Sarah looked at Katherine. She looked normal – not cold, not glaring. Sarah turned to Elena.

"Elena?" Sarah asked.

"Her mother and aunt will be safe with you in there?" Elena asked Katherine.

Katherine nodded. "Describe her aunt," she said to Elena.

Elena looked at Sarah, who didn't react. "Silver hair, her mother has red hair. But both are safe with you in there?"

"Both are safe with me in there as long as you are safe in there, Elena."

"How can I trust you?" Sarah asked Katherine.

"Do you trust Elena?" Katherine asked Sarah.

Elena looked at Sarah and nodded. "You can let her in."

"Will you be able to talk agreements with her there?" Sarah asked Elena, the concern still showing on her face.

"First we ensure Elena's safety," Katherine told Sarah. "Then she can discuss agreements with you."

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed as she said, "Damon, Katherine, come in."

* * *

Katherine Can Do That?

Sarah was in a bedroom with Elena, cleaning and bandaging the cuts and scrapes. Katherine, who stood a few feet away, was the only other one in the room, though Damon insisted on standing on the other side of the closed door.

"I'm picking up a lot of life debts here, Elena." Katherine said. "First Alaric and now Sarah. I don't know that I can afford any more."

"They're my debts." Elena replied, grimacing as Sarah cleaned a cut on her knee.

"While you work for me, they're mine as well."

"I'll try to stop getting killed." Elena said looking at Katherine now. "Have you heard from my family? You say someone knows I'm here, could that mean someone knows I'm not there? Would it mean they are in danger?"

Katherine did not look concerned. "Marcus checked in an hour ago. They were fine then, but they should probably know what happened here."

"No!" Elena said quickly. "I don't want them to worry. But is someone telling others where I am? And if so, would it be one of yours?"

Katherine looked a little surprised. "Elena, that's a bit dramatic."

"What I mean is, can you trust this Marcus?"

Katherine stared at Elena now. "Do you not trust me? Marcus has been with your family before, though you may not know that. I trust him."

"I'd like to call Stefan, just to make sure they're OK." Elena said, shaking her head at the damage done to her jeans before pulling them on again.

"Very well," Katherine sighed. "I'll leave it up to you what you want to share with him about what has happened."

"Do you want to call before or after lunch?" Sarah asked. "You will eat with us, won't you?"

"We can have food brought in." Katherine said, looking at Sarah.

"No." Elena shook her head. "I trust them."

"Then you're the only one." Katherine said her gaze shifting to Elena.

"Sarah saved me." Elena argued.

"She did," Katherine said. "but she did no cooking."

"And food from the outside is better - even with someone out there trying kill me?" Elena asked.

Katherine actually smiled at this and spoke to Sarah. "She's always like this, you know. She's done everything I've asked of her, helped me time after time, but never quietly. Always questions and arguments, something I never get from the vampires that help me. It's the reason I trust her more than any other, and the reason we're both still alive."

Katherine spoke to Elena before opening the door. "I trust Sarah with your safety now. She, Bonnie and I will go to their kitchen and make you something from scratch you can eat. You wait with Damon and call Stefan."

Elena was stunned. "You cook? Can I trust that?" she said as she followed Katherine through the door.

Shaking her head, Elena took Damon's hand and pulled him into the living room as Katherine and Sarah found Bonnie and went to the kitchen.

Alaric was in the house now and approached them.

"Are you OK?" he asked Elena, his concern showing.

"Yeah." Elena was leaning against a wall now. "Do you know where Isobel is?"

"I know what she's doing. They think someone's told somebody that doesn't like you that you're here. She's checking for other vampires."

"You didn't have any trouble coming here?"

"No," Alaric shook his head. "but it was close – a quick trip."

"And do you think someone is gunning for me?"

Alaric laughed. "So far, witches and vampires. Sucks to be you."

Elena scowled as he spoke to her again. "I trust no one that didn't come with us."

"Not even Sarah?" Elena asked, almost not believing what he had said. "She did cast a spell that saved me."

"Maybe she did," Alaric said, "but I couldn't see. Until I can, she's still in the 'maybe' column, and she's the only one in this house there. The others are still on the 'no' side."

Elena continued scowling at him as she pulled her phone out and let herself slide into a sitting position. "We have to trust someone eventually, or this won't work."

Alaric laughed humorlessly as he responded. "How's this working so far?"

He left when Damon shooed him away as she dialed Stefan. "Damon, you know Sarah saved me, right?"

Damon nodded. "Yes. Led you into a trap once, saved you once. That makes her neutral so far."

Elena closed her eyes and shook her head as Stefan answered. "Hello, Elena."

"Hi Stefan. Just seeing if everything's OK there." Elena tried to keep her voice normal.

"It is. And with you?" Stefan asked.

Elena hesitated. "Katherine said she's having someone named Marcus stay there with you. Is that right?"

"Yes. He's here."

"Do you know him?" Elena asked. "I mean, did you know him before he went there?"

"Yes," Stefan confirmed. "he and I carried Jenna and Jeremy to safety once."

"Do you trust him, Stefan?"

"Elena, what's wrong?" Stefan asked suspiciously.

Elena hesitated briefly before saying, "Some things have happened here. Katherine and Isobel think someone was tipped off about my being here. I'm just worried someone will go there if they know I'm not there."

"You think Jenna and Jeremy are in danger even without you here, Elena?"

"Yeah. Maybe you should take them somewhere else."

"Elena, you know that would scare Jenna to death." Stefan replied firmly. "The only place she would let us take her is to you."

Elena sighed. She knew he was right. "OK. Stefan, tell Marcus what I told you, OK?"

"You really didn't tell me anything, Elena."

"Just tell him, Elena," Damon said. "They need to know."

Elena closed her eyes as she spoke the words. "Someone tried to kill me."

"Twice." Damon said.

Elena sighed and repeated "Twice. Please don't tell Jenna or Jeremy, just Marcus. I know you guys need to know."

"But you're all right?" Stefan asked, his voice sounding concerned.

"Yeah, thanks to Alaric Saltzman and Sarah, one of the witches."

"Who did this?"

Elena sighed. She really did not want to admit it to him. "A vampire and a witch."

"A witch?" Stefan was surprised. "You said you were meeting with witches. One of them?"

"Yeah."

"Elena..."

"Stefan, don't. I've already been through this with Katherine and Damon and everyone else. We've worked that out."

"Do you want us to go there?" Stefan asked. Elena couldn't read his tone now.

"No," Elena said quickly. "Keep them away from this. Be careful though, someone may try to get at them as well."

"All right, I'll tell Marcus. We'll be careful. But Elena, no more double talk. We need to know this kind of thing."

"I know. I just don't want you guys to worry about me."

"Too late, Elena, I'm worrying." His voice was flat. "I will keep it from Jenna, for now, but she needs to know."

"Later, Stefan. We'll discuss that later. Just keep them safe for now, please."

"Yeah." Stefan's voice was getting harsher. "You call me with any more news."

"Fine." Elena said matching his tone. "And you call me with any news."

"Fine." Stefan said and disconnected.

Elena let the phone drop to the floor, pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "God I'm messing this up."

Damon leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You're doing fine," he whispered. "quit trying to protect everybody. We've got that covered. Just get this damn treaty or whatever done and let's get out of here."

"Do you think I'm wrong to keep this stuff from Jenna?" she asked, looking at him.

"I think it won't matter whether you keep it from her or not if you don't make it back to her. I'm going to make sure you make it back so that it matters."


	63. Delayed Enough

_I'm back with more. Peachie X continues to make the raw material better. Her Beta rocks... _

Vampire-Approved

Bonnie hesitated as she carried the platter of sandwiches into the living room. Damon was sitting against a wall on the other side of the room, stroking Elena's hair as her head lay on his lap. Her eyes were closed.

Bonnie grimaced at the sight, but controlled herself. "Is she asleep?" she asked softly.

Damon shook his head and motioned for Bonnie and Sarah, who was next to her now holding a tray of water bottles and chips, to come forward.

"All this is starting to get to her," Damon said, "but she needs to eat."

Elena heard him and pushed herself into a sitting positing. "Do we need to go to a table?"

"If you want," Sarah said. "or you can just eat here."

"Here." Elena said. She reached for the sandwich platter. Bonnie moved it to let her choose one, then sat on the floor next to Elena, placing the platter on the other side. Sarah pulled up a chair and both witches joined Elena in eating.

Sarah kept looking at Damon and finally asked Bonnie, "Do vampires not have to eat?"

"Elena should answer that." Bonnie said, munching her sandwich.

Elena glanced at Damon before she answered. "They can, sometimes they do, but they don't really need it – just blood."

Sarah nodded her head still looking at Damon. He was sitting very still.

Elena noticed that Sarah seemed to be staring at Damon. "Does it bother you that vampires are in your house?"

Sarah's eyes moved to Elena as she answered. "Yes. Not as much as it bothers my mom. Although, I understand, Elena. They're here to protect you, and you need it. Once I told my mom what happened on the way back here, she understands as well. You need them around you."

Elena nodded.

"What we don't understand is why." Sarah continued. "Why would someone try to do that to you?"

"Why would witches?" Damon said. He did not move, there was no emotion in his voice.

Elena had given up with him on this. He was there, he would say whatever he said. Sarah's family would just have to deal.

"I don't know either, Sarah," Elena said. "I don't know if Katherine did something and they're trying to get me to get to her, or if someone just blames me for something. I have given up pretending that it's random, though."

Sarah nodded as Elena turned to Bonnie. "Did Katherine really help with this?"

"It depends on what you call help," Bonnie said. "She never touched anything, but she bossed us around – wouldn't let us use anything from an open container. And she smelled some stuff before she would let us use it. She was on the phone a lot, too."

Elena looked at the part of the sandwich in her hand. "Smelled it, huh?" she repeated, almost laughing.

"Yeah," Bonnie said. "So don't complain about the odor. It's vampire-approved."

Elena glanced at Damon as she laughed in response. Was that a scowl starting to form?

"I would not have believed it when I first saw her, Elena," Sarah said, "but Katherine cares about you. She's really worried."

Elena nodded, her face serious again. "She does, I know."

"Katherine's not the only one." Elena heard Damon say.

Sarah shook her head. "Elena and her vampires. Any humans care?"

"Humans and witches," Bonnie said, looking at Sarah. "Welcome to the Do-Whatever-It-Takes-To-Keep-Elena-Alive Club."

Elena could only, shake her head, close her eyes and take another bite of her sandwich.

* * *

Delayed Enough

"Ready to talk?" Elena asked Sarah as she stood up. She still held on to the bottle of water she had been drinking from.

"I've been ready since 7 AM. We've set up at a table in our library that will seat six –three of us and three of you. But no vampires in there with us while we talk, okay?"

Damon bristled, but Elena squeezed his hand tightly.

"OK." Elena replied. "Just me, Bonnie and Alaric, but the door needs to stay open."

"For them to hear?" Sarah asked.

"We'll hear whether the door is open or closed." Damon said, his voice reflecting annoyance.

Elena closed her eyes and squeezed his hand again.

"They will hear, open or closed," Elena said, looking at Sarah again. "They'll come to me if they think they need to, whether the door is open or closed. If it is open, it won't be broken if they come."

Sarah nodded. "My mom and aunt won't like it, but OK. They would hear us from anywhere in the house?"

"Outside also, if they tried. Once they were brought this close, Sarah, they will hear."

"Promise it won't change anything as far as what we or you can say?" Sarah demanded.

Elena nodded. "It won't change what I say. I hope you will still say what you intended to."

Elena found Alaric and led him and Bonnie to the library. The room stuck out of one side of the house as if it was added as an afterthought. A series of shelves covered with books was on the side opposite the rest of the house, with windows on each of the other two sides. Elena and the others sat where they where instructed by Sarah. Alaric and Bonnie only had water bottles in front of them. Elena had the same in front of her as well as a notebook and two pens.

As Sarah left to get her mother and aunt, Damon entered and stood behind Elena. She reached behind and guided his hand as he rubbed her neck and shoulders.

Damon leaned over and whispered to her. "We're here, Elena. We'll be here before you can blink if you need us."

"I know." Elena said. Damon expected her to say something like 'come only if called,' but she didn't. She just moved her shoulders as he rubbed them before asking "Did Isobel find anything?"

"They're still looking. From what I've heard Katherine say, they did see a vampire that wasn't known to Nathaniel's."

Elena sat up straight and looked at Alaric, then Damon. "They found one," she repeated. "Did they…" she began before she froze as a voice spoke from behind her.

"I won't go in while a vampire is there."

It was Sylvia. The voice sent a chill through Elena – she had not heard it since the spell was cast at her.

"Elena," Sarah said from behind her, "he can't be here."

Damon gave Elena's shoulder a squeeze and moved to the door, glaring at Sylvia. Sylvia avoided his eyes, just looking at where he had been standing.

"Maybe I can't be here," Damon said to Sarah, catching her eyes as he walked through the door. "but I can make a witch's head spin. If anyone so much as raises their voice when talking to Elena, I will."

Sarah shook her head as she entered the room and sat across from Bonnie. Natalie sat in front of Elena.

"Do you ever get tired of it?" Sarah asked Elena.

"Tired of what?" Elena asked.

"His badass façade." Sarah replied.

Elena shook her head slightly. "He doesn't act like that around me."

Bonnie snorted drawing the eyes of the others. "You were here just now, he acted like that. He always acts like that around you – just not to you."

Bonnie looked at Sarah as she added, "Don't think it's a façade. He'll do what he says if he thinks he needs to."

"Enough," Natalie said, taking charge. "This has been delayed enough." She looked at Elena and asked "How are these things usually done, Elena? These agreements with vampires. How are they usually done?"

Elena was caught off guard. "Usually?"

"Yes. How are they done?" Natalie repeated.

Seeing Elena's confusion, Sarah asked "How does it work in your town, Elena? Is there a written document?"

"A written agreement?" Elena asked. "No. There's no agreement at all."

"But, you said some vampires protect your town from others," Sarah challenged.

Elena was flustered. Alaric spoke before she could.

"Because of her," he said. "They do what they do because of Elena, not an agreement."

"No agreement," Sylvia said coldly. "Why are we here?"

"Nathaniel's willing," Elena said, looking at Sarah, then Natalie. "You're willing. We can do this."

"Has anyone ever done this?" Natalie asked Elena, looking doubtful.

"I don't know." Elena replied. She was getting nervous – this was not an expected challenge. "But it only means we can do this any way you want. There are no rules to be followed."

"There are vampires in our house now," Natalie said, shaking her head.

"All the more reason, Mom," Sarah said.

Natalie stared at Sarah briefly before abruptly turning to Elena.

"No more," Natalie said to Elena. "No more vampire invitations. Write that down, Elena. That's our first demand."

Elena breathed a sigh of relief, opened the notebook and began writing. It was finally beginning.

* * *

If They Do, Hire Them

It had been at least two hours. Elena was writing in her notebook when she heard Katherine's voice from the doorway.

"Isobel is back Elena. She would like to see you. Will she be invited in?"

Elena had continued writing as Katherine spoke, but looked quickly at Sarah, who was shaking her head.

Elena rose and faced Katherine. "No. We agreed no more invitations."

"Your agreement is not in effect, not even completed." Katherine said.

"Still, they don't want any more inside."

Elena leaned over and whispered to Bonnie, "Will you stay here with them while we talk to Isobel outside?"

Bonnie nodded and whispered back, "Witches over vampires anytime."

Elena stood and said, "Sarah, will you come with me? Alaric, you can come if you would like to talk to Isobel." She looked at each as she spoke the names.

Both arose and followed her out of the room. She hadn't gotten far when Katherine was in front of her. "Outside, Elena? Away from the protection of the house?"

"I'll be okay. With Isobel, you, Sarah, Damon and whoever else is out there, no one could get to me. If they do, you should hire them."

Katherine did not look convinced, so Elena added, "Just on the porch. Someone can push or pull me into the house if needed."

"The porch." Katherine agreed, allowing Elena to pass. "No farther."

Elena shook her head as she opened the door and stepped onto the porch. She found herself smiling a little as she faced Isobel, trying to remember if she had ever smiled at Isobel before.

"You look like you feel OK, Elena," Isobel said. "Do you?"

"Yeah. Did you find anything?" Elena asked, still smiling.

Isobel's face was blank now. "One was found that was not known to Nathaniel's people. They followed him until he entered a building, but did not follow him inside."

"Why?" Elena asked, a little relieved she was finally rid of the grin.

"They don't know what's in there. They don't even know if they were seen. They're waiting to see if he comes out. A few others are still looking, but that's about to stop."

Elena nodded as Isobel looked at her. "Bandages on your arms, bloody, torn jeans." Isobel shook her head and held up a bag she had been carrying. "You need these."

Elena took the bag and looked inside, "You went shopping for me?" Two complete, identical outfits – blouse, jeans, even sandals - were inside.

"Two?" Elena asked Isobel.

"Change into one, Elena," Katherine said. "Leave the other in the bedroom."

"You'll wear the other?"

"Maybe," Katherine said. "If needed. I also have these." She said, holding up a necklace identical to Elena's vervain necklace, and a bracelet identical to the one she wore that Damon had given her.

"Why?"

"They were too close to you Elena. We'll do whatever we have to to make sure they do not get that close to you again, or if they do, it will be me that they get."

Elena was trying to process this when Damon spoke harshly to Sarah. "What's your aunt doing?"

Sarah was confused. "I don't know what you mean."

"She keeps repeating herself, saying the same thing over and over. She keeps making Elena repeat herself as well. Why?"

"We were told we could say what we wanted – anything we wanted," Sarah said, glaring back at Damon.

"That's not an answer. Why is she stalling?" Damon demanded.

"She's just venting, Damon," Elena said, trying to calm him. "I expected it."

"It's getting old." Damon said, not calming down.

"Will it be much longer, Elena?" Katherine asked.

Elena shrugged. "I don't know, but we're making progress."

"We'll have to decide what to do before sundown," Katherine said, "move you or keep you here."

Elena shook her head looking irritated. "What to do with me," she said, under her breath.

"Not your concern," Katherine assured her. "Go change now, leave the other outfit in the bedroom."

Elena sighed. "Sarah, can we talk for a minute while I change?" she asked before walking to the bedroom.

Sarah closed the door behind her and spoke first. "Thanks for stopping him from yelling at me."

"I know it's not pleasant," Elena said as she pulled one outfit from the bag, laying it on the bed before rolling the bag closed . Then she turned to Sarah with a stern look.

"But he's not wrong. If she's not stalling, then what's she doing?"

Sarah was surprised at the challenge. "Nothing. I'm sure it's nothing."

Elena stared at her for a minute, the broke eye contact to begin changing.

"This could have been done by now, Sarah. There's not that much on the table. Damon's right – too much repetition. It needs to move faster."

"It didn't seem to bother you while we were in there," Sarah pointed out.

"It didn't. But now I have two vampires who are not afraid of anything acting as nervous as I have ever seen. Damon's worried about something and I have never seen Katherine act like this. Insisting on staying with me, maybe even pretending to be me in case I'm attacked." Elena shook her head as she dressed.

"They're just worried about you because of what happened. Hell, Elena, I am too. Katherine said they got too close to you. Have they ever been that close before?"

"No." Elena said.

"There you are. They're worried."

Elena was done changing now and looked at Sarah. "Maybe, but this still needs to move faster. Say what you want, but not over and over."

Sarah nodded. "I'll tell my mom."

"Thanks," Elena said moving to lie on the bed. "I'm going to lie down for a couple of minutes while you do that. I'll be in there soon, OK?"

Sarah nodded and left the room. Damon was lying next to Elena by the time she heard the bedroom door close.

"You're not supposed to be in here." Elena said as she closed her eyes.

"You're not supposed to be alone." Damon replied.

Elena took his hand after a few seconds, but kept her eyes closed and lay still otherwise. "Why are you and Katherine so upset? Did you hear something I didn't?"

"No. She really is torn about what to do for tonight. If she tries to take you somewhere in a car she's afraid of another attack. If she leaves you…us here, well, she doesn't trust the witches."

"I'm getting tired of this Damon."

"I shouldn't have said anything." Damon whispered, though loud enough For Elena to hear.

"No." Elena said, turning towards him and moving his arm so she could lay her head on his shoulder. "Don't keep anything from me."

"You don't need to worry about this Elena." Damon had his arm around her now. "That's what I'm here for. You keep doing what you came to do."

"Yeah." Elena said reaching to pull his other arm around her as well. "Finish the agreement, then see what someone does next to try to kill me."


	64. Witches and Vampires and Agreements

__

Again Peachie X has helped this chapter be better than it was...(if I seem to be repeating myself, there is a reason...)

Almost Done

"They never die," Elena said to Natalie. "Nathaniel will live forever."

"Elena," Sarah interrupted. "I saw two die today. If something happens to Nathaniel, we need to know what happens to the agreement."

"Elena," Katherine interrupted as she entered the room. Sylvia bristled, though Sarah and Natalie were calm as they turned to look at her. "It's 30 minutes to sunset. If we are to leave, we need to leave now."

"We're on the last issue," Elena said, turning to Katherine. "nearly done."

"I understand that," Katherine replied, standing behind Elena now. "however, it is time."

Katherine turned to Natalie. "We would prefer to stay here tonight. It would allow you to finish, then meet with Nathaniel tomorrow at a neutral location. However, if you will not permit us to stay, we need to leave now."

"You would stay as well with Elena?" Natalie asked.

"All five of us," Katherine replied.

"Vampires in our home." Sylvia said scowling.

"And outside," Katherine said, still looking at Natalie. "Not in the yard, as your agreement demands, but close, in case there is a problem."

Natalie looked at Sylvia, seeing the unhappy look on her face, though it had been there all day. When she turned to Sarah, Sarah nodded and said "We should finish if we can. Then we will have their help tomorrow."

Natalie turned back to Katherine. "I know you're concerned about Elena's safety. Would this bring her attackers here?"

"Her attackers are vampires," Katherine replied. "they would not be able to enter your home unless invited by one of you."

"That wouldn't happen, Mom," Sarah said quickly.

"You don't know who they are? You don't know who's after Elena?" Natalie asked.

Katherine shook her head. "Elena's protectors have not allowed any to live. I really don't know. Vampires could not enter your house uninvited, and though they have tried to use humans before, our vampires nearby should be able to intercept any who enter your yard before they reach your home."

Natalie hesitated, but finally nodded. "You can stay – one night."

"Thank you." Katherine said, turning to leave the room. "Bonnie, Mr. Saltzman, Elena – come and discuss the arrangements with me. Then you can finish here."

Katherine left the room and went to Sarah's bedroom, followed by the others.

* * *

Incalculable Value

"Arrangements?" Elena asked as she entered the room. Since she was last, she closed the door behind her.

"Yes, Elena, arrangements." Katherine said, meeting her eyes.

"We're guests. They will tell us where to sleep." Elena argued.

"I will dress the same as you. You will be in here with Bonnie. Damon, Sarah and I will be in the living room. Alaric will be between where you are and where we are so he can go either place if there is trouble."

Elena scowled, but understood. "You think they will assume I am with Damon, so if one of them attacks, they will attack you."

"And they will assume Sarah will be there to help you." Katherine clarified.

"But once they see you dressed the same as me, they would know it could be you." Elena said.

"They will not see us together, Elena. If they see me, I will speak as you would."

"Sarah would know." Elena continued to argue. "Bonnie knows when vampires are outside of her house."

"Not unless she touches her." Bonnie interjected, drawing the eyes of all. "They can't tell vampires without touching them – at least that's what Natalie told me."

"So Damon will stay between Sarah and me." Katherine said, turning back to Elena. "Will that look odd to them?"

Elena shook her head. "No. Damon said he will always be between me and witches."

"Then it is settled." Katherine said.

"Is Bonnie up to protecting Elena from witches?" Damon asked. He was next to Elena, leaning against the door. "She wasn't last time."

Bonnie glared at Damon. "If anything comes through the door, there will be a protection spell around us until I'm sure there's no danger to her."

"Also, Damon," Katherine said, "we will hear the door and be there instantly. But anyone seeking her should come to us instead."

"You don't want even Sarah to know?" Elena asked.

"No. I'm convinced she will protect you, but I'm not convinced she wouldn't tell her family. It's the other witches I'm concerned about. Vampires cannot enter, humans would be intercepted outside or easily dealt with if they enter. The danger to you is from the witches."

Katherine moved to stand next to Elena and studied her hair. "You really could do so much with your hair. Such possibilities, but it is always like this when I see you. Do you ever do anything different?"

"Founder's Day activities," Damon said. "but I heard she hates it."

"You are not doing my hair and makeup – not part of the job," Elena said, scowling.

"You're right," Katherine, almost laughing. "I know exactly what to do to get my hair to match yours. But really, Elena, so many possibilities."

Elena was getting visibly irritated. "Do you want me to stay here while you change so you can go out and finish this?" she asked.

"No. You go and finish your work. I will stay, do my hair and change. They will not see both of us together again."

Elena turned to leave, but had another thought, so turned back to Katherine. "Nathaniel will be here tomorrow to finish this?"

"Nathaniel is very close now." Katherine said. "With other vampires in what he considers his town, his people are close. He's not happy about the attacks on you from vampires or witches. He will honor your agreement with the witches, but if there is any more trouble, he will be personally involved."

"The Proctors would not be happy to hear that." Elena said.

"That is a concern for tomorrow, when this is done. Tonight it's about keeping you safe, Elena. He is here to help with that."

Elena nodded. "So we're done here? I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Yes. Go on, all of you." Katherine said, waving her hand towards the door to tell them to leave.

Elena, Bonnie and Alaric left. Damon held the door open for them, then closed it, but remained in the room.

"Staying, Damon?" Katherine asked, smiling a little.

"This is not your dream or your fantasy, Katherine." Damon said, a hard look on his face. "Why are you separating Elena and me?"

"I told you."

"Not good enough. You're leaving her without protection. The witch is not up to this." Damon was still standing by the door, still glaring at her.

"You heard her. Bonnie is up to this, and we will be close. The ruse won't work if you are not next to me."

"This sounds like a chance to get rid of her." Damon insisted.

"And why would I do that. To get you? I'm smarter than that, Damon." Katherine's face was showing irritation now as well.

"You know the only way is if she is gone…"

"Damon!" Katherine interrupted. "Yes, I love you and you love her, but that does not mean she is not valuable to me. Do you know what she is doing for me?"

"Paying a debt you owe Nathaniel, returning the favor he did for you when he sent some of his to help protect her."

"True, Damon, but not complete," Katherine said, her face normal now. "That was not the only debt I owed Nathaniel. I have a much older, much greater debt to him, one that I thought I could never repay. I could do small favors for him, but nothing that matched what I owed."

Damon did not respond, so Katherine continued. "Nathaniel has assured me that when this arrangement is completed, both debts to him will be considered repaid. Damon, if Elena can do this, she will never know what she has done for me. Her value to me is incalculable. I'm doing all I can to protect her."

"You're using her." Damon said, still scowling.

"She's keeping her promises to me. I keep mine to her. She will always do this, and so will I. You know that, Damon. The only thing that can possibly change in all of this is you. Will you still help her, protect her, knowing she will always do what I ask of her?"

"Don't give me a reason to protect her from you." Damon growled as he left the bedroom.

* * *

Done

It was just after sundown when Elena looked up from the paper she had been writing on.

"We're really done. We did it!" Elena said, smiling.

Natalie was smiling as well.

"Yeah," Sarah said, smiling and nodding her head. "We should go out to celebrate, but that's probably not allowed."

"Probably." Elena said, holding the pages with the final agreement. "We'll need copies."

"Easy." Sarah said, "I can make as many as you want." She chanted a few words, wiggled her fingers and said "look at the last pages of your notebook."

The entire agreement was now in Elena's notebook as well as in her hand.

"Wow. I usually have to pay 20 cents per page for this."

"I can send you a bill." Sarah laughed.

Bonnie was smiling. Even Alaric seemed to be enjoying the banter when Bonnie sat up straight suddenly.

"Damn! Elena, Isobel and other vampires are coming here - fast!"

That was all Elena heard Bonnie say before she heard the crash of glass on both sides of her. She turned to one side and saw figures coming through the window. She instinctively leaned back as if to move away from noise. It seemed that all at once she heard someone screaming, Alaric cursing as he reached for his bag, and at least two women chanting. As she tried to process all of this commotion, she felt herself being lifted into familiar arms. She was being carried out of the Proctor library by Damon.


	65. Prices and Pinkies

_Peachie X is still here doing Beta for this. Heaven only knows what this would have been without her..._

Bonnie was actually fairly impressed. As soon as she heard the windows crash in and felt Elena being carried away, she saw that Sarah had some kind of spell holding three vampires that had come in on one side, while Natalie and Sylvia held the three vampires that had come in on the other side in a similar spell.

What she did not understand was why Sarah seemed to have no trouble with her spell, but both Sylvia and Natalie seemed to be working hard on their spell.

She dared a glance at Alaric and saw that he was pulling darts out of his bag.

When she glanced back at the window, something had changed. Sarah was losing control of her spell.

"Aunt Sylvia!" Sarah cried as the spell broke. Bonnie managed to start chanting as she saw vampires were coming at them.

Natalie was distracted enough by the attacking vampires that she dropped her spell just as Bonnie managed to put a protection spell around her, Sarah and Natalie. She couldn't push it farther and watched in horror as Alaric managed to take down two vampires before a third reached him and snapped his neck.

Bonnie was looking at his hand to make sure the ring was there when she heard Sylvia speak.

"Forget them, we need to get Elena."

The four remaining vampires left the room immediately, followed by Sylvia.

"She broke my spell!" Sarah said to Natalie as Bonnie dropped the protection spell.

Natalie nodded. "She tried to break mine, too."

"We need to help Elena." Bonnie said, pushing her chair back to stand as Natalie moved to check Alaric.

"Dead." Natalie said, shaking her head as she knelt over Alaric.

"Elena!" Bonnie said, moving towards the door.

"What if more vampires come?" Sarah asked.

That made Bonnie hesitate. "She needs help."

"We'll go." Natalie said. "Can you seal this room if more come?"

Bonnie nodded. "Hurry, please."

Natalie and Sarah ran through the door and into the hall, but were blocked before they could enter the living room. Some kind of spell was keeping them in the hall.

"Sylvia!" Natalie cried, but was ignored by the older witch.

Sylvia was standing across the room looking at Elena who, though struggling, was being held by a vampire. The other three vampires were attacking Damon.

At least Sylvia thought she was looking at a struggling Elena. Elena was in a dark corner of the room, as far away from the front door and the hallway as Damon could put her.

When he placed her there and moved to stand next to Katherine, Elena felt anxiety and fear. She was alone in the corner, not knowing what was coming into the house only knowing it was coming after her.

No one told her, but she knew she had to say still, make no sound, no movement. Damon would do whatever needed to take out the threat, her job was to remain undetected.

Elena found her job very difficult. She watched as Damon moved in front of Katherine when four vampires entered the room. She watched one vampire go to Katherine, easily subduing her as she 'struggled'. She watched Damon take hit after hit as he tried to keep three vampires busy enough to not notice her.

It was unbearable.

Which didn't change when she heard Sylvia's voice. Though Katherine stood still and faced Sylvia, Damon tried to continue to keep the other vampires busy. He did, but it hurt to watch. She listened to Sylvia, knowing that, if she could distract her at the right time, they had a chance.

"No help this time, Elena," Sylvia said. "You survived this morning – not again"

"Why?" Katherine asked, her voice breaking.

"Because there is a very, very high price on your head." Sylvia said.

"Someone is paying to kill me?" Katherine asked, struggling again. She knew where Damon was and what was happening to him. She knew she had to keep the vampire holding her, at least, away from him.

"One is paying to kill you, another pays to have you taken to him alive. You'll be much less trouble if you're dead." Elena couldn't see Sylvia's face, but thought she heard a sadistic smile in her voice.

"No, no." Sylvia added unexpectedly as she thought the vampire holding Katherine was moving toward her neck with his mouth. "It must be by a witch for me to receive payment. You'll be paid, but she dies at my hands, or you do."

Katherine tried to act even more upset and continued to struggle. "Who would pay?"

Sylvia laughed. "You'll never know, will you?" She began a low chant.

Elena knew it was time. She knew that when she spoke, one or more would come at her, but knew they would leave Damon to come. She could do that much for him. She walked from the shadow and spoke clearly. "How high a price?"

Sylvia recognized Elena's voice. It startled her enough that she stopped chanting and looked in the direction of the voice.

Sylvia's eyes found Elena at the same time she heard a noise from where she had seen Elena before. When she turned back to the original spot, Elena was gone, the vampire that had been holding her was lying on the floor with his head severed.

Sylvia gasped and did manage to see Katherine, just before she felt her neck bitten at the same time as it was snapped.

Two of the vampires left Damon immediately, one going to Katherine and the other to Elena. The one heading to Katherine found himself outmatched and quickly overpowered.

The one heading for Elena hit an invisible wall before he reached her. Sylvia's death had released the spell which blocked the other witches from the leaving the hallway. Sarah rushed into the protection spell she had cast around Elena as Natalie went to Sylvia's body.

Elena hugged Sarah, trying not to interfere with the spell. "Thank you." she whispered. They could see that Katherine had moved to the vampire that was blocked by the spell. It was over quickly.

"Yeah." Sarah said, just before dropping the spell while watching her mother's reaction as she knelt over Sylvia's body. Damon and Katherine had finished off all of the attacking vampires. Both were next to Elena as soon as the spell was dropped. Elena was relieved that Damon seemed to still have his speed after the beating he had taken.

Sarah shook her head, staring at her aunt's body. "I can't believe she…" she began, before being interrupted.

"A little help please!" Bonnie called from the library. Katherine was there immediately, followed by Sarah. Damon released Elena from the hug he had her in and they followed at a normal pace.

Bonnie was kneeling next to Alaric, who was still out. She was looking nervously at the two downed vampires.

"Can someone take care of those, please?" she asked, pointing as the others entered.

Damon found a stake in Alaric's bag, took it and staked one before pulling the dart out. Katherine went to the other, kicking the dart away from him.

"Take him out," Damon demanded.

Katherine shook her head. "Bring him, we'll chat when he wakes up. Let's see what's happening outside."

Damon grumbled something as picked up the vampire. Elena and Sarah followed Katherine to the front door while Bonnie stayed with Alaric. Isobel was waiting on the doorstep.

"What happened?" Katherine asked from inside.

Isobel looked relieved as she glanced at Elena before speaking to Katherine. "We saw them leaving the house next door. We weren't close enough to intercept them before they made it into here, but no one has left the other house since. How did they get in here?"

"They must have been invited in before." Katherine said, looking at Sarah.

"Not by me!" Sarah defended.

"How many made it in?" Isobel asked.

"Six." Katherine said. "No sign of anyone else out there?"

"No."

"Could you enter next door?" Katherine asked.

"No. We saw who we think is the homeowner, but he was under compulsion. We couldn't get in."

"It'll have to burn," Katherine said without emotion.

"What?" Both Elena and Sarah cried out as Isobel nodded.

Katherine turned to Elena. "We don't know who else is in there."

"Mr. Fredrickson is in there," Sarah said. "He's our friend."

"Not now, he isn't" Katherine said. "We can't take the chance that someone else trying to kill Elena is there. They would be a danger to you as well."

"Don't tell me you can't figure it out," Elena interjected. "I've seen you guys just stand outside a house and listen and know who's inside."

"Not when it's vampires who may be trying to hide." Isobel said. "We would never be able to be sure we could hear them all."

"We can't go in there to take them out even if we knew, Elena" Katherine said, still showing no emotion. "We have to eliminate the house to be sure."

"It's not his fault!" Sarah was pleading now. "You can't just let him die because of what they did."

"I see no other way," Katherine said, looking at Isobel. Isobel was shaking her head.

"Let us go in and at least try to bring him out." Elena suggested.

Katherine's face turned hard. "Out of the question. You may find it amusing to run into buildings full of vampires who want to kill you, but I don't."

"I don't find it 'amusing'!" Elena argued. "It just has to be done sometimes."

"Not by you. Not anymore. You're too valuable to risk like that."

"But…" Elena started to argue again when interrupted by Sarah.

"I'll still go," Sarah said, "with or without Elena."

"Sarah…" Elena began to argue.

"I'll be careful. My mom might know a spell that will expose them or something."

Katherine looked at Natalie who was still crying over Sylvia's body and shook her head. "She's in no shape to help."

"Bonnie would know if there are vampires in there," Elena said. "At least she knows when your guys are around her house."

"Bonnie and I will go then," Sarah said. "No offense, but we can handle anything in there."

"And we can go in there," Bonnie said, entering the room with a tentatively moving Alaric. "Burn in the sun, need invitations – must suck to be you," she added, looking at Damon.

Before she could take a breath, Damon was at Bonnie's side, pushing her head to expose her neck.

Damon froze near her neck and whispered, "But we have fangs…and speed."

"Damon!" Elena yelled as she crossed the room, feeling both angry at him and relieved that he was acting normal. When she reached him, she pulled at his arm, knowing he would have to let her pull him away, but thinking he would. She was right.

Sarah was recovering from the shock of another speed demonstration when Katherine spoke again. "Then the witches will go."

"And me," Elena said. "It's my fault they were here, I'm not leaving Sarah's family to them."

"It is not your fault and it is not your choice." Katherine said to Elena sternly. She was still at the door. Elena and Damon had stopped a few feet away.

Elena looked at Damon, trying to get his help.

"Let her go." Damon said. "You can't tame her, and you wouldn't want to."

Katherine glared at Damon. "She brought you along for you to take her side on everything."

Damon glared back. "You say she is valuable to you. Let her be who she is. We're both still alive because of her, because of who she is. Why would you change that?"

"I'll go as well," Alaric said as he and Bonnie walked to the front door. He was looking better than when he entered the room. "I'm looking for some revenge on these guys."

Katherine still glared at Damon as she spoke to Isobel who was still on the doorstep. "Isobel, go to the door, make sure nothing has changed. Elena and the others will join you shortly."

Isobel left as Katherine turned to Alaric. "You'll stay with Elena? Right next to her?"

"Yeah. I will." Alaric said.

"I'll ask my mom about a spell," Sarah said to Elena, going to where Natalie was sitting now, still next to Sylvia.

"Stay with him, Elena," Katherine instructed. "No more risks."

"I will." Elena promised as she joined Bonnie and Alaric at the door to wait for Sarah.

"Damon and I will move bodies outside for disposal, and interrogation," Katherine said, looking at the vampire Damon had dumped in the room.

"Not your minion." Damon retorted.

Elena pulled him down to kiss him on the cheek. "Just help her."

Sarah had returned. The four were going through the door as they heard Damon complain "She could lift any of those bodies with her pinky."


	66. The Message and the Minion

Messages and Minions

"Isobel?" Elena was speaking softly. She was standing between Bonnie and Alaric on the doorstep of the house that Isobel said the hostile vampires had come from.

She had expected Isobel to be there when she arrived, but the porch was empty. The door was open a crack.

"Something's changed." Bonnie said from beside her. "I think Isobel is inside with at least one other vampire."

"She said she couldn't go inside. How?" Elena's worry was showing.

"I don't know." Bonnie said.

"You can't tell who else is in there?" Elena asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "I can tell that they are pretty close to each other, but it looks like they're just walking around."

Elena pushed the door all of the way open as Sarah, who was next to Alaric, asked "Do we want a protection spell?"

"Not yet," Elena said, "but be ready, OK?"

"I am" Sarah as Bonnie entered followed by Elena and the others. The room was dark, but Bonnie found a light switch on the wall and flipped the light on. Elena hesitated, almost expecting Isobel or the other vampire to come to them when the light turned on. They didn't.

The house was quiet except for Elena's whisper to Sarah "Did your mom have a spell?"

Sarah shook her head as Bonnie softly said "there are no other vampires here, Elena, just the two."

"Call for the owner, OK Sarah?" Elena asked, looking at her. Elena began slowly walking forward, the others moving to stay beside her.

"Mr. Fredrickson?" Sarah called out. The group moved quietly and listened for a response, but heard none.

They had moved to the house's kitchen when they heard something from another part of the house. It was a gasp followed by voices speaking so softly they could not understand.

Elena moved immediately out of the kitchen into the hallway. She stopped short when she saw Nathaniel in the hallway, looking into a bedroom.

"Do you keep things from her?" he asked into the room.

Elena understood Isobel's words this time. "She doesn't need to see this."

Elena had reached the door, which was still blocked by Nathaniel. "See what?" She asked.

Nathaniel did not let her enter but she heard Isobel speaking on the phone "Owner's dead. There's nothing else here."

"Dead?" Sarah exclaimed from behind Elena. "Let me see," she said trying to push her way through.

"Please let us through," Elena asked. Nathaniel had turned slightly, though he still did not look at them.

"I won't keep this from her." Nathaniel said as he moved aside.

There was a large bed a few feet from the door. Isobel was at the foot of the bed, and looked up as Elena entered the bedroom, followed by Sarah

Isobel intercepted Elena and had Elena's arm in a firm grip before she had reached the foot of the bed, but not before she had seen. Sarah stood over the body with a shocked look on her face.

Bonnie and Alaric entered the room. When they saw the body they stopped. They had not yet passed Elena and Isobel.

"Mr. Fredrickson," Sarah said, shaking her head.

"I didn't want you to see this, Elena," Isobel said softly. Isobel had been looking at the body, but looked at Elena now. "Or that," she added.

Elena was staring at the bed. Part of a severed arm had been cast aside after apparently being used to write a few words in blood on the bedspread. It was a scrawl, but legible enough. "My name," Elena whispered.

"We won't let it happen," Isobel said, still speaking softly.

"Let it happen?" Elena asked, still staring at the bed. "Let what happen? What's that word with my name?"

Elena looked at Isobel, but she didn't answer. Finally, Nathaniel did. "Mors," he said from behind her. He had not moved. "Latin. It refers to death."

Elena let out a breath, closed her eyes and shook her head. She opened them to look at Sarah when she spoke.

"Elena," Sarah said, "is this because I let you come here?" Elena could see that Sarah had wiped away tears.

"Elena didn't bring this." Isobel said harshly.

"I wasn't accusing her." Sarah said defensively, though her face was hardening.

"You know it was already here," Nathaniel said calmly. "It's one reason you were willing to talk to us."

Sarah glanced up at him questioningly. "Nathaniel" Alaric said, nodding towards Nathaniel.

"Is this true, Sarah?" Elena asked drawing Sarah's eyes from Nathaniel to her. "Has stuff like this happened here before?"

Sarah hesitated, but nodded.

"You didn't tell us that."

"You never told me what you are or that someone wants you dead." Sarah said to Elena, then she turned to stare at Nathaniel. "How do I know you're not like whoever did this?"

"He's not," Katherine said as she entered the room. "Come out now, Elena."

Elena's gaze had moved from Sarah to the body. "If a vampire did this, how did it get out without being seen?"

"We don't know who or what did this," Katherine said as she and Isobel turned Elena around and started pushing her out of the room.

They stopped short when they heard Sarah speak. "I hate whoever did this."

Katherine turned around and studied Sarah's hard, tear-streaked face briefly before saying "You can help us stop them."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, her face still hard.

Katherine turned to Elena. "Do you find her reliable, Elena?"

"Reliable?" Elena asked.

"Yes. Do you?"

Elena made the connection. "No! You don't mean…"

"I do." Katherine confirmed.

"She doesn't owe you anything." Elena argued. "I owe her."

"Elena," Sarah asked, walking towards them. "what are you two talking about?"

Elena looked desperately at Katherine. "You can't ask her to do anything for you."

"It would not be the same sort of arrangement I have with you, Elena. It would be different."

"Arrangement? Elena?" Sarah was facing Elena now, close to her.

Elena stared at Katherine as she forced herself to say the words. "She would like you to work for her."

"Work for a vampire." Sarah repeated.

"You're in Mystic Falls – not here," Elena continued to look desperately at Katherine.

"I'm in more than just Mystic Falls, Elena. Wherever I am, arrangements can be made. If she is willing to discuss it with me, we will make them."

Sarah looked at Bonnie, who had a worried look on her face before looking at Katherine.

"I would fight whoever did this anyway. Why would I need an arrangement with you?" Sarah asked.

"It would help Elena. It would strengthen your agreement with Nathaniel. Some of my resources would be here to fight whatever did this as well. Also, there would be compensation." Katherine replied.

"Pledge herself for compensation?" Elena asked.

"Not pledge." Katherine said. "It would be different. We would discuss terms."

"Help Elena how?" Sarah asked.

"Cast spells which would allow us to protect her, perhaps even be with her sometimes. We would work that out."

"Are you seriously considering this?" Bonnie said disbelievingly. "Taking sides in vampire fights?"

"Not just vampires." Sarah said, "My aunt somehow got involved and my neighbor. Besides, you've taken a side."

"No," Bonnie claimed. "I side with Elena. I only help her."

"You only help the vampire-pledge girl who has taken a side. I see no difference. Plus you said your ancestor helped Katherine and still fought vampires."

"It's not that simple." Bonnie claimed.

"Elena does everything Katherine asks, don't you?" Sarah asked, looking at Elena.

"Yes." Elena said. She wanted to add a 'but', but couldn't think of anything to say after it.

"I'll talk to you." Sarah said to Katherine.

"Your mother…" Bonnie started.

"My mother wants what's best for our town. So do I. Do not think I would do anything different." Sarah said as she walked through the door. She turned back and looked at Nathaniel. "We need to meet to finalize all this as well."

"We'll clean up in here, then meet at the kitchen table later tonight, if that is acceptable to you."

Sarah shook her head. "Not here. We'll find someplace else. Mr. Frederickson has a family. Proper arrangements will need to be made."

"We'll see to it," Nathaniel said. "We have connections that will handle the matter discretely."

"Meet me on your doorstep?" Katherine asked Sarah. "I need to speak with Elena briefly, then I will be there."

Sarah nodded as she left the room and house.

The others took this as their cue to leave. They went through the front door, Katherine took Elena to the back door, but then turned back to speak with Nathaniel briefly, leaving Elena waiting at the door. Elena could not hear them. When Katherine returned, she led Elena to the back porch where there were a few chairs and a swing that was made for two people. Elena sat in the swing, Katherine stood in front of her.

"Please don't make her do this." Elena said.

Elena found that she was even more unnerved than usual when she was alone with Katherine – probably because even the clothing and hair were the same this time. The mirror image was worse than usual.

"I told you it would be different." Katherine replied.

"You won't try to compel her?"

"Elena, they have vervain. I tasted it when I bit the older witch. Even without it though, I wouldn't do that. I told you, we will discuss the matter and come to terms."

"You didn't 'discuss the matter' with me." Elena said, lowering her eyes.

"It was a very different circumstance then, Elena, and a very different person involved."

"What do you mean?" Elena was looking at Katherine again. "I mean, I know it's not the same – she is not trying to save anyone like I was, and I owe her my life."

"I am in her debt as well for the same thing. It will all factor into whatever arrangement we make."

"But very different person?" Elena's confusion showed in her face.

"Elena, I've been around long enough to know that there are a number of witches who are willing to work for vampires. It is just a matter of creating the obligation or setting the price. But with you, Elena, it's very different. There's no one else like you. You are unique."

"I'm coming to hate that word." Elena said under her breath.

Elena thought she heard Katherine make as noise as if she was trying to stifle a laugh. Then Katherine's face was blank again. "Our role here is done. I will speak with Sarah while you and the others wait in the cars. Damon will take you there now."

Damon was sitting next to Elena as soon as his name was spoken.

"I can't even say goodbye?" Elena asked.

"I will do it for you with Sarah. If things work out, you will see each other again. Natalie is in mourning, best left alone for now. Nathaniel has his agreement and has been informed of the terms, he will finish the matter with the witches. He thanks you and says that whenever he or his are near you, you will have their assistance and protection. He also says you are welcome here anytime."

"Wherever here is." Elena grumbled.

"Wait in the cars. I will join you shortly." Katherine said as she left.

Elena immediately turned and hugged Damon. She didn't speak at first, just let herself enjoy the feeling of being in his arms. Her mind kept running through the events of what had become a very long day. Eventually she found herself crying softly.

"It's over, Elena." Damon whispered, stroking Elena's hair. "We're going home soon. We'll be in Mystic Falls by dawn."

"Did you see what's in the bedroom in this house?" Elena asked not moving.

"Heard about it and saw it before I came here. I won't let it happen, Elena."

"I can't believe someone wants me dead. Or maybe even alive. What did I do that caused this?"

Damon tightened his hug. "It's not always about what someone does, Elena. Sometimes it's about who they are."

Elena moved to sit on his lap, still hugging him and leaning her head on his shoulder. "Who they are? Who am I? I'm nobody."

"You should stop saying that about yourself, Elena," Damon said softly. "No one here believes that – not Rick, not the witches, not the vampires, certainly not me. You're not a nobody and you're not just anybody. You are unique"

Elena bristled but remained in place. She was enjoying the feeling of his arms around her too much to move. "You heard her say that. I can't believe you're rubbing it in."

"I'm not 'rubbing it in'." Damon whispered. "You are unique. It's not a bad thing. I know I would not have paid any attention to you if you were like everybody else."

Elena calmed down a little. "I still can't believe this."

She was silent for a minute or two before asking "Did the vampire Katherine let live say anything about who's after me?"

"No," Damon said. "He just kept repeating 'the witch' to any question asked. He's dead now."

It upset Elena a little to be reminded of death again. To get her mind off of it and everything else that had happened, she concentrated on Damon, on what she was feeling as she hugged him and as he stroked her hair and rubbed her back. Eventually she spoke into his shoulder, "Don't we need to go to a car?"

"Not yet. I'll know when Katherine is going to the cars, and I'll take you there when she is. We can stay here until then."

"She said she wanted us to wait for her in a car," Elena said.

"You may be her minion, but I'm not."

"Don't call me that!" Elena said as sharply as she could manage while in the arms of the vampire she loved. "Do, however, keep rubbing my back."

The End

(_well, until the bloody muse bites me...I mean sings to me again. Anyone have any muse repellent?...)_

_Thanks again to Peachie X who performed Beta services on this chapter and most of this story. She made what I did much easier and what you saw much better. She is awesome..._

**End of Part VIII - ****Paying the Debt****. ****The Epilogue introduces the next part.**


	67. Epilogue Home

**Epilogue to Part VIII – Home**

Elena was able to sleep on the return flight. Actually, the short night followed by a very long day caught up with her before they were even in the cars leaving the Proctor neighbor's house. She woke up briefly as Damon carried her to the car and when she had to make the trek from the car to the small jet. Mostly though, she slept.

Bonnie slept on the return flight as well. Neither heard Katherine as she came to the back of the jet while it was in the air and whispered to Damon and Alaric.

"I haven't heard from Marcus and couldn't reach him before we boarded."

"Is that unusual?" Alaric asked. He was getting sleepy, but perked up.

"Very much so. He is meticulous about checking in on schedule, as well as answering when called."

"Do you think something's wrong?" Isobel asked.

"I think we need to be careful. Damon, when we land, would you be willing to call Stefan?"

"Why?" Damon asked. "Won't you just call Marcus?"

"Yes, but I thought we could try several things at once. I would also like Alaric to call Jenna." Katherine said, looking at Alaric.

"I'll do that," he replied. "I would do that anyway."

"No." Damon said drawing the eyes of the others to him. "You wouldn't wake her up at this time of the morning."

Alaric hesitated. Maybe he was right.

"But you'll call Stefan?" Katherine asked Damon again.

"Call Marcus. If something is wrong, we may not want anyone to know we're back."

Katherine looked at Isobel. "He may be right," Isobel said.

Katherine thought for a minute before saying "Very well. I'll call Marcus when we land. If he still does not answer, Isobel, Alaric and I will take Bonnie home and then visit Elena's home. Damon, will you be willing to take Elena somewhere else until you hear from us?"

Damon smirked. "I'll take her somewhere else. I may turn off our phones as well."

Katherine looked a little irritated briefly before regaining control of herself. "Our other two will be with you, though unseen by Elena."

"Not necessary." Damon said.

"Still, they will be with you." Katherine replied, the annoyed look back.

"I can't go inside the Gilbert house," Isobel said quickly, mostly to break the Damon/Katherine stalemate.

"She hasn't invited you?" Katherine asked, surprised.

Isobel shook her head. "She'll ask my advice, go anywhere with me, but won't invite me in - not that it's come up lately."

"There will be plenty to do outside if we need to go there." Katherine said. Isobel nodded as Katherine returned to her seat.

Damon returned to watching Elena as she slept. He wanted nothing more for her than for her to go to her safe home where she could rest after the ordeal she had suffered. It wasn't looking likely.

* * *

Elena found herself waking up with her head on Damon's lap – again. She opened her eyes, but laid still, trying to remember why she was there – what had happened.

They were outside, the sun shining brightly. She couldn't remember lying down this time. She couldn't remember anything after being with him on a swing - after the horrific sight in the bedroom.

She did not want to think about that, so instead of trying to remember, she moved her head slightly to see if she could figure out where they were. Probably not in town – there were trees nearby, but no buildings.

She closed her eyes to see if she could sleep again, but she only saw the bedroom with its corpse and bloody writing. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked at him. His eyes were closed, but she felt his arm move around her. She let him pull her next to him.

"Where are we?" Elena asked, moving to stretch herself wherever she could without moving away from him.

"Near Mystic Falls." Damon said, keeping his eyes closed.

"Did I sleep all of the way back?" Elena asked.

"Pretty much." Damon said. His arm held her tightly, but his eyes remained closed. He did not move.

Elena wasn't thinking clearly yet, but something came to mind. "Why didn't you just take me home?"

Damon did open his eyes now, and smirked. "Not liking the company?"

"No," Elena said, quickly. "You know better. I just want to see them."

Then she saw him approach – one of the vampires that had been on the trip with them.

"Soon." Damon said as he gently pulled his arm from her and went to talk to the other vampire.

She just watched. She was still tired, too tired to go to the vampires and try to listen to what they said. So she waited for Damon to come back, when she would insist that he take her home.

_Peachie X is still here with her Beta. I like her better than the muse..._


	68. The Ring

**Part IX - Witches and Rings**

_I'm back. The game begins again. Come along. Oh, Peachie X is back with her Beta as well - you don't know how lucky you are for that..._

Alaric

The sun was up, though it was still early in the morning. They were near Elena's house. Alaric stood still as Katherine and Isobel concentrated, listening. He was a little unnerved as he stood between the two vampires. He had never really come to like or trust vampires. Still, he was not concerned about himself, he was more worried about Elena and Jenna, two people he had come to care about as much as he had ever cared about anyone.

"The humans are here," Katherine said. "and Stefan"

"But not the other?" Alaric asked.

Katherine shook her head. "Not Marcus."

"Agreed." Isobel said. "I see no sign of him, which is good."

"Good?" Alaric asked.

"There should be no sign of him," Katherine replied. "though, he would have come to us if he was here."

"What now?" Alaric asked.

"Now we talk to Stefan." Katherine said. "You try the front door, quietly, I'll go to the back. If the front is locked, stay there. I will get Stefan and come to the doorstep to talk. No noise, though. We don't want to startle them."

"Shall I go to the door as well?" Isobel asked.

"Yes," Katherine replied. "Keep your eyes open, but do come and talk with us."

Alaric moved toward the door, aware that Isobel was behind him, watching. He knew that if he took time to think about Jenna and Isobel, he would be torn. He wasn't going to worry about it just then, Jenna and Elena were the priorities.

Alaric moved as quietly as he could, and tried the door. Locked.

He was relieved in a sense, at least the front door being locked overnight was normal.

He moved aside and tried to find a window he could look into while he waited for Katherine. He hadn't gotten far when he heard the front door open.

Alaric turned back. Katherine was motioning for him to him to enter. As he reached the door and turned to go inside, he noticed Stefan standing behind her.

"Where's Elena?" Stefan asked. He directed the challenge to Alaric.

Alaric looked at Katherine. "You didn't tell him?"

Katherine shook her head. "Woke him up, brought him here." Then she turned to Stefan, "She's with Damon, Stefan. We thought that after everything that happened and with Marcus missing, we should make sure everything here is as it should be before bringing her."

Stefan glared at Katherine. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine." Katherine answered. "Where's Marcus?

"He's supposed to be outside. He was earlier." Stefan said, annoyed the subject had been changed from Elena.

"He's not there." Katherine said.

"He was somewhere else resting most of the day. He was supposed to take over while I slept in here. He _was_ here earlier."

Stefan's attitude was beginning to annoy Katherine. She turned to the doorstep. "Do you see or hear anything, Isobel?"

Isobel shook her head.

"When did you last see him?" Katherine asked, turning back to Stefan.

Stefan was still annoyed – Marcus was not his concern, but he answered. "We talked before sunset – nothing unusual. He said he had just checked in with you and was getting ready to settle in for the night."

"He did talk to me then. I lost track of him after that."

"You're sure Elena is safe?" Stefan demanded again.

"She's with Damon and two others." Katherine said, her annoyance with him visible. "I would have heard if she wasn't."

"She said she was attacked by witches and vampires." Stefan asked Katherine icily. "How could you let that happen?"

Isobel had heard enough. "Everyone who attacked her is dead, Stefan," Isobel said harshly. "Witch and vampires."

Stefan wasn't consoled. "You sent her to make a deal with witches but didn't protect her from them?"

"She did what she was sent to do, Stefan." Katherine defended. "She made the deal and the witch that attacked her is dead. The other witches weren't involved."

Stefan glared at her briefly before asking, "What about the vampires? Were they working for someone?"

Katherine was regaining her composure. "Not a clue. Neither lived long enough to tell us."

"So someone's after Elena, but you don't know who. You can't find out?" Stefan challenged.

"We talked to one," Katherine said, "he said he was working for the witch."

"Get your story straight! You said neither lived long enough to talk."

Katherine understood. She was speaking calmly now, still annoyed at Stefan, but deciding she did not have to defend herself to him. "There was another attack after she talked to you, Stefan. They didn't get to her, but we were able to keep one vampire alive long enough to talk to him."

"She must be scared to death." Stefan whispered to himself, shaking his head.

"If she is, it doesn't show." Isobel said icily.

Stefan ignored her and challenged Katherine again. "You can't do anything to find out who is after her?"

"The witches had no idea. The vampires died. We have no clue."

Alaric remembered something and spoke. "I have a ring."

"Ring?" Katherine asked at the same time Isobel said "The rings! There should be two."

Alaric pulled the ring out of his pocket and showed Katherine. "From one of the vampires on the motorcycle," he explained.

Katherine studied it. "What can we do with it?" Katherine thought out loud.

"It's not the same as yours, is it?" Alaric asked, holding it up to Stefan.

Stefan was still scowling. He looked at it, then moved his hand so his ring was next to one in Alaric's hand. "No."

"There were pictures of Stefan's ring in Emily's spell book." Alaric said to Katherine. "Maybe we can find a way to find out what witch made this one."

"Do you think you have something that would tell us?" Stefan asked, sounding a little calmer now.

"I might, or Natalie Proctor might. Sarah said she was interested in the families of witches."

"We do have two rings." Katherine said.

"You could send this one to Sarah, and I could research the other one," Alaric suggested.

Alaric quickly closed his fist around the ring as he heard Jenna speaking from behind him.

"Rick, Elena. You're back!" Jenna said, smiling as she ran and pulled Katherine into a hug.

"Yeah. Back." Alaric said.

Jenna was hugging Katherine tightly, wondering why she didn't return it when Stefan spoke.

"Jenna, that's not Elena."

Jenna quickly released Katherine with a sharp intake of a breath. She backed up a couple of steps and hesitated before tentatively asking. "Katherine?"

Katherine nodded.

"Where's Elena?"

"She's with Damon, a little behind us." Katherine said.

"But she's OK?" Jenna asked desperately.

"She is," Katherine said. "she should be here soon."

Jenna nodded and looked at Isobel, her concern still showing. "Isobel, isn't it? Don't you want to come…"

"No!" Alaric said, sharply enough that Jenna cringed a little.

Jenna looked at him, confused, for a moment. Then it hit her. "Is she a…?"

Alaric nodded.

Jenna still spoke to Alaric. "Doesn't she help Elena? Isn't she safe?"

"Elena should decide when she is safe enough to enter your home." Alaric said. "Besides, Isobel and Katherine have something to do. Stefan and I will wait for Elena with you."

Jenna was still upset, but nodded to Alaric and turned to walk to the kitchen. "I'll make us some coffee."

Alaric turned to Isobel whose expression was changing from what may have been small scowl to an icy smile. "Until next time, Rick."

Alaric held the ring out to Katherine. "You'll send this to Sarah and ask Damon to give me the other?"

"I'll call him now," Katherine said as she went through the door.

* * *

Elena

Elena was still tired, but she had waited long enough. As she waited, she could feel some pain and soreness from where she had fallen the previous day. All she wanted to do was go home and rest. She had become more and more annoyed with Damon as she watched him and the other vampire talking. Finally she pulled herself up and went to them, arriving just after Damon had answered his phone.

"Yes, I have it." She heard him say into the phone. She wasn't able to get his attention before he spoke again.

"We're on our way now."

Elena began to scowl as he put his phone away. "Damon, we're on our way where? I need to go home."

Damon looked at her now, startled at the expression she had. She looked tired, hurt and desperate. "That's where we're going. I'm taking you home."

Elena nodded. "Okay. Right now?"

"Right now. Jenna is waiting for you."

Elena let a sigh of relief escape. "Good. I can't wait to see her."

Elena's voice was breaking. Damon was glad that finally, after all she had been through, he could take her home to rest.

* * *

Marcus

Marcus was straining, but he could hear at least some of the conversation.

"He walks in the day. He won't be there."

"You shouldn't have left him outside then."

"I couldn't carry him alone. He killed my brother. It was all I could do to subdue him again. If you wanted someone that could carry him, you should have sent a vampire or a wolf with us."

"You were all that was available. You needed to find a way."

The voices were coming from inside a building, getting closer. Marcus had moved to where he thought he could at least watch the building but stay unseen.

He wasn't sure how he had been surprised, let alone subdued. For once, however, he was glad to be outside in the sun.

He did remember waking in the night. He remembered being carried by two people. When he noticed he was about to be carried into a building, he started to struggle. They were no match for him and he took one out quickly. Then he blacked out again.

He had awakened in the same place he remembered being the night before. He felt weird – they had done something to him to subdue him.

Marcus reached into the pocket that held his phone. Empty. The phone was lost.

He didn't wait anymore, he started moving towards the Gilbert house.


	69. Evasion and Detection

_Beta by Peachie X, blood and gore by me (what there is of it...do I need more blood and gore?)_

Evasion

Elena breathed a sigh of relief when Damon took her straight home. Jenna and Alaric were up as soon as Elena arrived.

Elena found herself being approached tentatively by Jenna. Elena hesitated briefly, then closed the distance, pulling Jenna into a hug.

"You're home finally. Are you all right" Jenna asked, leaning back to get a good look at Elena.

"I'm fine." Elena said, though she grimaced a little as Jenna accidentally touched an elbow.

Jenna noticed and looked at the arm more carefully – pulling Elena's sleeve up to reveal the bandage on her elbow and a few scrapes and scratches.

"Elena, your arm."

"I'm fine," Elena said, quickly pulling the arm away. "I just …fell. I'm just a little scraped up."

Jenna looked back at Alaric. He tried to keep his face blank. She also looked briefly at Stefan, who was next to Alaric now, and then at Damon.

"What aren't you guys telling me?" Jenna asked looking back at Elena.

"Nothing." Elena said quickly. "Well, we haven't told you anything. I'll tell you everything, but I just need to rest for a little bit first."

"We'll tell her everything while you rest." Stefan said.

Elena stared at him. "You don't know everything." she said coolly.

"Elena," Alaric said, "She needs to know."

Elena looked back at Jenna, who was getting more upset. "You're scaring her. I'm fine. That's what she needs to know."

"I know you say that, Elena, but you look hurt to me. What happened?" Jenna asked.

Elena closed her eyes and tried to calm herself.

"Elena needs to go upstairs and rest." Damon said. "I'll tell you what happened."

Elena looked at him. He showed no emotion. "Damon…"

Damon put a finger to her lips to stop her. "She's not your enemy," he told Elena softly. "neither am I. Trust me."

Elena stared into his eyes and finally nodded before heading up the stairs.

* * *

Revelation

"She died?" Jenna yelled in disbelief. She couldn't believe what Damon was telling her, but then it was confirmed by Alaric.

"Technically, yes. So did I."

Jenna stared at him. "That's supposed to make it all right?"

"He's saying he kept her alive." Damon said, his face showing no emotion. "We all did."

Jenna glared at Damon now. "No. It's not all right. She can't just go away on someone's whim and come back hurt with stories of being raised from the dead. You can't put her through this – none of you."

"We didn't 'put her through' this," Alaric said soothingly. "We kept her safe while she did what she was sent to do."

"She did what she had to do for Katherine." Damon added. "We did what we had to do to bring her back."

"She was sent by Katherine," Jenna said harshly. "I'm going to talk to her. She can't do this to Elena, or me."

Alaric knew it would only get him in trouble, but the thought of Jenna trying to convince Katherine that she must leave Elena alone scared him more. "It's her choice, Jenna. She goes willingly." he said. "I haven't been able to talk her out of it."

"Me either," Stefan added. "I wish she wouldn't, but she's not really listening to me right now."

"Why does she do it? Why does she 'work for' Katherine?" Jenna asked, her voice still hard. "Elena has never told me, though I've asked."

Damon, Stefan and Alaric looked at each other. None spoke.

"Why Damon?" Jenna asked again, thinking that, since he had done most of the talking, he would tell her.

"For you," Damon said flatly. "she does it to protect you. Katherine is dangerous,"

"Dangerous? I was hugging her this morning. She spoke to me very civilly – she has every time I've seen her."

"Because of Elena," Damon countered. "She's nice to you because of Elena. Don't think there's any other reason. She's a vampire that has no use for the Gilbert family or Mystic Falls. She leaves your family and the town alone because of her deal with Elena."

Jenna tried to process what she was being told. "Deal? I mean I know Elena does things for Katherine, works for her, as she calls it. But deal? What kind of deal?"

"Elena helps her in return for her leaving you, Jeremy, Bonnie and Mystic Falls alone." Damon said. His face remained expressionless, his voice almost bland. "At least that's how it started. They have a strong connection now. They protect each other and they help each other. Katherine thinks that being nice to you helps Elena."

Jenna wasn't buying. "She puts Elena in danger."

"Elena has been in danger for a long time. Katherine protects Elena."

Stefan interrupted now. "I can't believe you're saying that. The danger came with Katherine."

"The danger came with you…and me," Damon retorted. "Elena works for Katherine because it's the only way she knows to protect the people she loves."

Jenna stared at him briefly, then shook her head. "This can't stand. We have to change it."

Damon looked intently at Jenna, his face almost hard. "Elena will do it as long as she thinks it protects you and the others."

"She died!" Jenna argued. "What if Rick hadn't been there? I can't live with myself if I let her go again."

"I was there." Alaric said, trying to calm her. "I will always be there with her when she asks. I know it helps protect you."

"It's not about me. It's about Elena." Jenna knew she was losing this fight. "How can I let her do anything for Katherine knowing she is in danger?"

Damon spoke again, the hardness gone from his expression. "Do you know how much she appreciates you? She knows what you gave up to come here and take care of her and Jeremy. She knows it and loves you for it. She'll do anything she thinks she has to to protect you."

"She'll do anything to protect anyone," Stefan added, "including Katherine."

"Yes," Damon agreed. "They are both still alive because they protect each other." He turned to Jenna. "You are alive because Elena does what she can to protect you. Now she has Katherine protecting you as well."

Jenna scowled. "I don't need Elena's protection." she said softly, unable to voice it normally because she knew it wasn't true.

"You do – you know it and I know it," Alaric said. "You need it, and you have it."

Damon looked at Jenna intently as he said "Elena needs your protection as well."

Jenna pulled her eyes from Alaric to Damon,. "What do you mean?"

"Wherever she goes she has people watching over her. But if she is not home, no one is watching over her home. You need to be careful about who you invite in. Anyone could be a threat to Elena."

Jenna continued to look into his eyes. "Sometimes it's the polite thing to do."

"Elena trumps polite." Damon said.

Jenna turned to Alaric, desperate for him to make her feel better.

"He's right. If Elena is home, it's not likely anything dangerous will get as far as your door, but if she's not, you need to be careful."

Jenna closed her eyes and shook her head. "Elena shouldn't be involved in this at all."

"But she is involved." Damon was still looking at her intently. "She'll do whatever she can to protect you. Will you do what you need to to protect her?"

* * *

Aversion

"I don't want it," Bonnie said again, louder this time.

"You were with us." Isobel was on Bonnie's doorstep, trying to get her to understand. "Whoever is after Elena knows you now and is a threat to you. I would think you would be happy to have some help."

"I don't need the help of any vampire," the witch gritted her teeth, "and I sure will not trust any vampire enough to ask for their help."

"It's not about trust." Isobel was frustrated but keeping control of herself. "It's about Elena. You are close to her, somebody knows that. If someone attacks you, it will mean they are a threat to her too. You just need to know that there will be a vampire keeping an eye on you."

"I don't want it!" Bonnie repeated, louder this time.

Isobel's phone rang – she moved off the porch to answer it, but kept eye contact with Bonnie.

When Isobel returned to the doorstep, Bonnie asked, "What?"

"Marcus is back," the vampire replied.

"Marcus?"

Isobel shook herself, remembering that Bonnie did not know he was missing – might not even know who he was.

"It's not an order and it's not a request," Isobel said. "It's information. Know that when you feel a vampire near you, he is not your enemy. He is there to protect you. He will do what he needs to do to protect you. Don't get in his way."

"Elena will hear about this!" Bonnie yelled through the door as Isobel left.

"Yes she will," the vampire muttered to herself as she climbed into her car.

* * *

Detection

Elena took a good look at herself in a mirror for the first time in hours. No wonder Jenna knew she had been hurt - it showed on her face. She was tired, too.

She had showered and changed her clothes, eager to get out of the same outfit Katherine was wearing. She had to decide whether to dress for sleep or the day – she chose the day, though she planned to lie down, hopefully sleep for awhile. She had no idea how much sleep she had managed to get the last couple of nights.

She was done changing and preparing – she just couldn't pull her eyes away from her reflection. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door – the door to Jeremy's room.

"Elena? You're back?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah," Elena moved to the door and opened it for him. "I'm done in here."

She stood and looked at him briefly, wondering if it would freak him out if she hugged him. Again, he interrupted her thoughts.

"Elena, what happened to you?"

She heard the concern in his voice, but immediately turned around and walked towards her door. "Nothing."

Jeremy caught her before she reached the door. "Nothing? Your arms, your elbow?"

Elena turned around, chiding herself for short sleeves. She was glad her legs were covered.

"I fell, I got scraped up, but I'm fine." She said, not meeting his eyes.

"It's more than that," her brother countered, "you're not fine."

"I'm fine, just tired." Elena claimed, turning around and walking towards her bedroom again. "I want to rest now."

"Elena, tell me who hurt you," Jeremy demanded.

"Nobody. Stay out of this. I don't want you involved in any of this." Elena said as she went through the door. She tried to close it but he stopped the door.

"Somebody hurt my sister. I'm involved."

Elena had moved to her bed and looked back at him. "Jeremy, I'm fine. Please, I need to rest."

Jeremy shook his head and said "I'm not as naive as you think" as he closed the door.

He thought he heard something hit the door behind him as he walked away from it.


	70. Witches and Warnings

_Peachie X is still Beta, you readers still get the benefits (which are many)..._

The Witches

It had taken some persuasion, but Natalie Proctor had finally agreed to let the same funeral home that was handling the Fredrickson body take Sylvia. Sarah had finally convinced her that letting anyone else handle the body would be worse – all kinds of questions that no one wanted to answer.

She had released the body and gone to bed, sleep finally catching up with her in the early morning hours. She was a little surprised the next morning, though grateful, when she learned that Sarah had been up, making some arrangements.

Now they were at the table, catching up.

"She was supposed to be changing," Sarah told her mother, glad to finally be talking about it. "I let Elena come here, put her in danger."

"We both let her come here." Natalie said. Sarah thought she looked better than before sleeping, but could tell she was still being affected by the events of the previous night.

"You didn't know Aunt Sylvia was involved with vampires? That she was still working for the…" Sarah couldn't finish. She felt sick to her stomach when thinking about it.

"No, of course not," Natalie said with conviction. "When we decided, we all decided. She said she would change as well. She said she was changing."

"But you talked to her everyday. You couldn't tell?" Sarah demanded.

"You saw her every day too, even if you didn't talk. Maybe she felt it when you didn't reach out to her."

The accusation made Sarah a little defensive. "She never talked much to me, Mom. Not before, not after. She had no interest in me."

Natalie sighed, knowing Sarah was right. There had never been a connection between her daughter and sister.

"At least we found someone who might help us," Natalie said after a moment of silence. "Bonnie Bennett's grandmother Sheila can help us."

"Her grandmother?"

Natalie nodded.

"No," Sarah shook her head. "Bonnie said she's dead."

Disappointment showed on Natalie's face. "I'll keep looking," she managed to say.

Sarah looked at her mother for a minute. "You've been looking for years. Did you talk to Aunt Sylvia about it?"

"Yes," Natalie sighed. "I asked her to help find someone to help us change, but she always said we could do it ourselves. I don't know how to do it and she never even tried to help."

"She wasn't helping, Mom, she wasn't changing. She obviously didn't cut her ties like we did. At least we've been able to do some good here. But her, just words – to you. Not even that much to me."

"I can't believe she lied," Natalie said, staring at the cup in her hands.

Sarah followed her mother's eyes to the cup. "She invited vampires into our home. I know they were in our old house, but not here. She didn't change at all."

Sarah could tell from Natalie's expression that the discussion wasn't helping. Not only had she lost her sister, she had also been betrayed by her.

"I think the vampires can help us, Mom." Sarah said.

Natalie looked at Sarah again. "I know you do. I still don't know how I can trust them and I doubt they trust us."

"But they signed, Mom." Sarah said hopefully. "They're taking a chance on us. We're already doing what we agreed to, at least you and I have been."

"Do they know what we were before?"

Sarah shook her head. "I don't think so. It never came up. But that's not who we are anymore, we're not dark anymore."

"It's not so easy to change, Sarah. You've seen that. We've given up everything."

"It's not safe either," Sarah agreed, "judging from what happened to Aunt Sylvia. But at least I can sleep at night now."

Natalie nodded. "I'm sorry I wasn't much help last night."

Sarah understood. "It's OK. You were much more connected to her that I was."

"I'm also sorry to hear about Arthur."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. I couldn't believe what they did to him."

"What did they do?" Natalie asked. "The same thing they did to Sylvia?"

Sarah shuddered at the thought. "Worse. I don't want to think about it, but it made me mad enough to agree to work with the vampires – with Elena's vampires."

Natalie looked sternly at her daughter. "What do you mean 'work with'?"

"I've agreed to help them sometimes, when they ask."

Natalie was shocked. "No, Sarah, you can't."

Sarah tried to reassure her. "It's OK, Mom. They'll help us too."

Natalie wasn't convinced. "Working with vampires is what got Sylvia killed. I don't want that for you."

"Working with bad vampires is what got Aunt Sylvia killed. That's not what I'm doing."

"How can you know that?" Natalie asked. "They were here for a day. Do you really think there are 'good' vampires?"

"Bonnie Bennett's ancestor worked for these," Sarah said. "Elena's doing it. If any vampires can help us, I think these can."

"Sarah, I've already lost my sister. I can't lose you," Natalie sounded almost desperate. "I couldn't bear it. I'd probably go dark again."

Sarah reached across the tale and took both of her mother's hands into hers as she looked into her eyes. "No, you wouldn't. We've decided – the past is done. We've changed."

Natalie wasn't convinced. She voiced another concern. "Do these vampires know who we were? Does Elena know what you've done?"

Sarah pulled her hands back and shook her head. "No. It didn't come up. No one needed to know it for the Agreement and we didn't get much of a chance to talk about anything else."

"Will you tell them?"

"I think I have to," Sarah said. "Since they know who we are, it wouldn't take much to learn that our family has been dark for generations. I have to tell them before they find it out on their own. It's not like I was hiding it from them, but they should find out from me."

Natalie nodded and looked at the cup her hands again. Sarah watched her expression, and thought she was thinking of Sylvia again.

"First though, we have a couple of funerals to attend." Sarah said.

* * *

The Warning

Elena woke up next to Damon again. At lease she wasn't on his lap this time. Actually, he looked like he was sleeping.

He was lying on his back on top of the covers, she was under them, fully dressed, except for shoes. This confused her at first, but she then she remembered.

She tried to quietly stretch herself – if he was asleep she did not want to disturb him.

"Elena, awake now?" Damon asked as soon as she tried to stretch her neck.

She gave up. She reached the hand nearest to him over the covers and found his as she stretched.

"Maybe." she said tentatively. He heard the hesitation.

"Are you hurting somewhere?"

"Still a little sore," Elena said. "What time is it?"

"3:30"

"Sunday, right?"

"Yes." Damon said.

Elena sighed. "I have homework to do. Even dying doesn't get you out of it." She released his hand and pushed the covers aside.

"Yeah, about that," Damon said. "Elena, Jenna knows. She knows that you died."

Elena had her feet on the ground and was about to push herself up when she froze. She slowly turned back to face him. "Damon, please tell me you didn't tell her that."

"I did. We did." Damon's face was blank now.

Elena's face looked desperate. "We can't do this to her. She can't know everything. She'll never understand."

"She doesn't know everything, Elena."

Elena closed here eyes and let out a breath. "She'll try to stop me, Damon. I have to do things, she won't understand."

"You underestimate her Elena. She always knew you were in danger. Now she knows you have help, protection."

Elena lay back on the bed again and let Damon pull her into his arms. "How can I face her again knowing that she knows."

Damon didn't respond.

"Every day it gets worse," Elena whispered. "How can I do this my whole life?"

"You're strong, Elena. You have help. Most wouldn't have lasted a day doing what you're doing."

"I'll never be done. No job will be the last. What have I done?"

Damon tried to reassure her. "Do you forget that you've saved people? Starting with me."

Elena sighed and shook her head. "You'd better be worth it," She warned, burying her head into his shoulder.

"I am." Damon assured her adamantly.


	71. The Aunt and the Delivery

_Beta by Peachie X. Here's hoping Katherine does not hire her away - we still need her here..._

The Aunt

Elena knew dinnertime was approaching. She knew she would have to face Jenna then, it couldn't be put off any longer. Even facing Jeremy was going to be hard.

Elena was sitting on her bed, trying to concentrate on her homework when she heard the knock. Damon was gone, she was glad for that. Still, she hesitated – long enough that the knock was repeated with an "Elena." added.

The wait was over. It was Jenna.

"Come in." Elena said, her voice a little weaker than she would have liked.

Elena looked at Jenna as she entered, wondering what her expression would be. It was hard to read, maybe concerned. At least it wasn't anger.

Elena tried to keep eye contact, but couldn't. Jenna just stood at the edge of the bed and looked at her.

"I'm doing homework," Elena said after looking down at the book in front of her. Jenna still had not spoken.

"I know. Dinner will be on soon and we need to talk before then."

Elena looked up at her. She was still standing at the foot of the bed. "I'm told you already know everything."

"I'd like to hear it from you." Jenna's expression had not changed.

"It's true. I was hurt," Elena admitted.

"You were killed." Jenna's expression did harden this time.

"I'm here. I'm…"

"Do not say you're fine, Elena."

"But I am." Elena claimed.

"Well, I'm not."

Elena waited for Jenna to say more, but she stayed silent..

"You're upset at me because of something that happened to me? I didn't do anything wrong and I wasn't alone. The people with me kept me safe and brought me back to you."

"You should never have gone, Elena. Nobody can do that to you."

"I had to go. I wanted to go. It's just as dangerous here – my parents died here. Others have died recently, you know that."

Jenna closed her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was putting herself through this after her earlier discussion with Damon, Stefan and Alaric - probably because she was not happy with the way it had turned out that time.

"Would your mother have wanted this for you?" Jenna asked, knowing it was a low blow even though Elena had brought up the subject of her parents.

"I don't want this for me." Elena said. "I do want my mother, both of my parents, here. Sometimes you can't have what you want, and you have to do what you may not want to do."

"Elena," Jenna's voice was soft now, the hardness in her expression gone, "Stefan and Damon said you do this, you help Katherine, to protect me. Is that true?"

Elena nodded slightly. "Yes, but not just you. Jeremy, too. Also Bonnie and Mystic Falls."

"Are you that afraid of her, Elena? Is she as bad as they say?"

Elena knew she couldn't really explain Katherine to Jenna. Katherine acted normal around Jenna. She was making an effort and was doing so for Elena.

Jenna noticed Elena's hesitation.

"You know she was here this morning," Jenna said. "if I had known then what happened to you…"

"No!" Elena interrupted her. "Please. You can never, ever confront her or, I don't know, be anything but nice to her."

Jenna was a little taken aback by the change in Elena's expression. It really was fear.

"You are afraid of her. Damon said you have a bond with her, that she protects you."

Elena nodded. "She does – me. But if you confront her, I don't know what she'll do to you. Please, I'll do anything you ask, but I have to go when she needs me, and you have to be nice to her."

Jenna just looked at her niece, trying to process what she was saying.

Elena spoke again. "Katherine didn't know it would happen, that someone would try to hurt me. She was just as upset about it as you are, it was just as hard for me to face her as it is for me to face you." Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. "In some ways you're exactly alike – you both do everything you can to protect me and I don't want to do anything to worry or disappoint either of you."

Elena looked at Jenna again, "But I do. I'm sorry."

Jenna quickly shook her head. "No. Not disappoint, but I worry about you. How can I not?"

"I worry about you too." Elena said. "Whatever wants to hurt me is here as much as anywhere else. It scares me Jenna. No one's safe around me."

Jenna move to the side of the bed next to Elena and pulled her into an awkward hug. "They told me I could help protect you. They said I need to be careful about inviting people into the house. It's not enough."

"It is, Jenna. They're right, you need to be careful - we all do. But it is enough with all of the help we have – at least it has been so far. We have a lot of help, but most of it is because I help Katherine when she asks. I've promised her I will always help her and she promised me she will always protect me. For me, she protects all of you as well."

Elena stopped, she thought she might be rambling, and Jenna's expression was not even close to anger, perhaps resignation.

"I feel like I'm letting your mother down."

"No! You're not. You've done everything anyone could have asked. You couldn't have done any better."

Jenna stared at Elena, not quite convinced. She could not believe she had lost the argument on this subject a second time.

"Just don't keep anything from me, Elena. Don't make me hear it from others. I know you were tired, but you should have told me. The worry will be worse now, please, don't keep anything like this from me again."

"I promise," Elena said, her discomfort obvious. "It'll be hard, but I promise."

Jenna stood, saying "OK" as she moved towards the door. "Be down in ten minutes."

Elena nodded and put her book aside. Homework would be a lost cause, for a little while anyway.

* * *

After Dinner

Jenna was starting to act normal again, Jeremy wasn't. All through dinner Sunday evening, he was looking at her. Maybe not quite staring, but he wasn't hiding his concerned looks. Elena knew she looked better than when he had seen her before – she had checked before coming down.

It took conscious effort for her to not get up and go to the mirror again, just to make sure.

Actually, Elena was afraid of another confrontation with her brother. She was tired of justifying her actions to the people she was trying to protect. She was glad when, just as dinner was ending, the doorbell rang.

"Bonnie," Elena greeted opening the door and motioning for Bonnie to enter. Elena was annoyed when Jenna was standing behind her as she turned around.

Jenna looked at Bonnie briefly, then turned to her niece. "Anything I should know, Elena?"

Elena was starting to shake her head when Bonnie saved her.

"It's homework. Elena said she would help me with homework."

Elena turned to Bonnie. "I have it upstairs." She tried to not give Jenna a clue that Bonnie may not have been truthful. "Homework" she repeated to Jenna as she started upstairs without looking to make sure Bonnie was following.

"What was that about?" the witch asked as soon as they entered Elena's room.

"Jenna found out I died." Elena replied softly. "She thinks I kept it from her."

"You did. I wish I had someone who cared that much."

"Your dad cares." Elena said.

"About me, not about this stuff."

"Jenna mostly wants to keep this 'stuff' away from me. But she knows it's too late, so now she wants me to tell her everything."

"And you have a problem with that," Bonnie said, matter-of-factly.

"Some things, yeah." Elena was getting uncomfortable again. Bonnie noticed and decided to get to the point.

"Elena, what's going on?"

Elena looked a little confused. "I told you. Jenna found out and is upset. We both are."

"No, Elena, not here. What else is going on? Isobel was at my house today telling me there's a vampire near me, 'protecting' me." Bonnie's tone made it obvious that she was unhappy with the idea.

Now Elena's surprise was obvious. "Bonnie, I didn't know. Damon didn't say anything and I haven't seen anyone else. I've just been sleeping and doing homework."

"You haven't talked to Isobel or Katherine?"

"No."

Bonnie was scowling. "I don't want it, Elena. Would you call Katherine and tell her that?"

Elena looked uncomfortable. "Bonnie, you know I can't."

"Elena…"

Elena interrupted her. "If something's going on, they'll tell me. When I see someone, I'll let them know you don't want their help."

"Promise?" Bonnie demanded.

"Promise. There's really a vampire near you?"

"Yeah. They can't do that to me. I'm not hers like you…" Bonnie tried to cut herself off when she realized what she was saying.

Elena had closed her eyes. Bonnie could tell that what she had said stung. She took a breath to calm herself.

"But you'll tell Katherine or Isobel or someone? And you'll let me know when you do?"

Elena nodded, a little concerned about what could have happened to cause such a drastic action on Katherine's part. "I will."

* * *

The Package

The package arrived fairly early Monday morning. Luckily, the Proctors were early risers.

Sarah was at the table with Natalie, relieved that her mother seemed to be sleeping better. She was looking better, too.

Arrangements for two funerals had been made and entered onto the Proctor calendar. Sarah almost felt guilty that she didn't think her life would change much without Sylvia. Actually, she thought it would be better. If only she had known what Sylvia was doing behind her back while giving her the silent treatment as she and her mother described what they were doing – the good they were trying to do. It made sense now.

Sarah's thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. "I'll get it." she said, rising and going to the door.

She gasped when she saw who was there. She would have described his look as surly. She almost called her mother to the door when she remembered who she was. Vampires could not enter – regardless of their speed. A spell could easily stop a human, and this was no witch, that much she knew.

It was only when she pulled the door open that she remembered that Sylvia had invited vampires into her house and she did not know if it was more than just the six that had already been dealt with.

She made sure to keep all of herself in the house as she looked through the open door. "Yes?"

He wasted no time. She assumed he was a vampire when he spoke. "From Katherine." was all he said.

Sarah nodded. Without waiting for further response, he placed a small package on the doorstep and left.

Sarah waited until he was out of sight before kneeling down and reaching through the door to pick up the package. She had expected that Katherine would simply call her when she wanted something. She really did not expect to get a package.

Sarah was opening the package in the living room, still facing the outside through an open door, when she heard Natalie behind her.

"Who was it, Sarah?"

"Package…from Katherine." Sarah was reading a note that she had pulled from the package. "There's a ring in here." Sara added, reaching back into the package.

"A ring?"

"From one of the vampires that attacked Elena while we were driving." Sarah said as she found it and pulled it out. She looked at it briefly before turning to face her mother. "They want to know if we might be able to tell who made it – from your research into the families of witches."

"You know I'm mostly looking for someone to help us," Natalie said as she took the ring from Sarah, "but maybe…"

Sarah was still looking at the ring when she heard Natalie's gasp. She looked at her mother's face, startled at her expression.

"Mom?" Sarah asked tentatively.

The older witch's eyes were closed. Sarah was trying to read her mother's expression when Natalie spoke.

"Our family. It's a Proctor ring."


	72. Vampires and Witches and Elena

_Reminder - Beta by Peachie X. You owe her things...we all do..._

Losing Trust

"Our family did this? Our family?"

"You know who the Proctors are, Sarah." Natalie said. "Most of them, anyway."

Sarah took the ring from her mother's hand and examined it more closely, "I've seen the spells, of course, but never cast one. Katherine said it might be something she would ask me to do for the vampires around Elena."

"Some who get these rings protect, some kill. You have to be careful."

The younger witch nodded, still looking at the ring. "Is there anyway to tell specifically who made this one?"

"Sometimes." Natalie said as she took the ring back. "There's no mark on this ring that I can see. Though some do put markings on this kind of thing, I never did."

"You've made these before?" Sarah should not have been surprised. It had been several years since they had started to change – sometimes she forgot the specifics about what her mother and aunt had done.

"Yes. Sylvia did also, though I don't think she ever put anything distinctive on them. Either one of us could have made this ring."

Sarah suddenly looked stricken. "There were two." She shook her head.

"Two what?"

"Two vampires that attacked Elena. They only sent us one ring. If they have the other and can figure out it was a Proctor ring…"

Sarah hesitated, then spoke again. "I've got to go to Mystic Falls, talk to Elena."

"What? Now? Sarah…"

"Mom, I have to." Sarah insisted. "They're not stupid, they'll find out who made the rings, then about our family."

"Sarah, I know this is a Proctor ring because I've made them. They won't know."

"I can't take that chance. Plus if our family is going after Elena, she needs to know what they're up against. If I leave now, I can be there by mid-afternoon."

Natalie did not want her daughter to leave so soon after the loss she had suffered. "Sarah, you said you would talk to her after the funerals."

Sarah tried to reassure her mother. "I'll be back tomorrow, Mom. I just have to tell her before she finds out some other way, she'll never trust me if I don't."

Natalie briefly considered offering to go with her, but decided she couldn't. "I can't leave here until after…"

"I know Mom, I'll be fine." Then she voiced a concern she had barely thought of before. "Will you be? If our family is involved and finds out they've failed, that Aunt Sylvia is dead, will they come after us?"

"We've done nothing against them. They have no reason to bother us. Even Sylvia wouldn't have…" Natalie's words trailed off. She was not so sure it was true anymore.

"I'll ask Elena about having someone watch over our house."

Natalie's pain was obvious. "So it's come to this? Seeking protection from vampires? It's not part of the agreement we made."

"Anything that threatens our town is part of it – even our 'cousins'."

"Elena isn't part of the agreement either."

"I just want to ask her if she agrees. If she thinks we need help, I'll call Nathaniel. We don't have to do this alone, Mom. Not anymore."

The older witch didn't answer, so Sarah spoke again as she left the room. "I'm going to get ready, I need to leave right away."

Natalie gave in. "Just be careful, and be back tomorrow."

* * *

Her Kind

"They're so close," Alaric commented. Bonnie had noticed, and pointed out to him that several vampires were very close to the school building.

"Don't we have security at this school?" Bonnie asked. "How can they not be challenged?"

"If they were, a little compulsion would easily keep them form being bothered."

"That's the one shadowing me" Bonnie said, pointing. "I wish Elena would get him to leave me alone."

They were silent for a moment before the witch spoke again. "The students are seeing them. They can't stay there."

"I asked Stefan to talk to them," Elena said from behind them.

Bonnie turned to face her friend. "You haven't talked to Katherine or Isobel?"

Elena shook her head. "Whatever is going on, they haven't told me. I'm about ready to use the phone to ask Katherine, even though she'll probably just yell at me."

"Does Damon know anything?" Alaric asked.

"I haven't seen him since he dropped me off here this morning. I'm sure he would have told me if there was anything weird going on. There was no one hanging around by the school then either."

Alaric nodded, then spoke to Elena again. "You'd better go if you want lunch today, though tell me if Stefan learns anything."

Elena nodded and pulled herself away from the window. "I want lunch. Bonnie, will you come with me?"

"Save me a spot, I'll be there in a minute. I need to ask something first."

Elena nodded and left the room.

Bonnie turned back to Alaric. "What did you need me alone for?"

Alaric pulled a ring out of his pocket and moved to give it to her. "Do you know what this is?"

Bonnie glanced at it as she accepted it. She felt a small jolt.

"I feel something, but I don't know what. It's charmed or something."

"It was on one of the vampires that attacked Elena. It allowed him to attack her during the day."

"Oh." Bonnie examined it more carefully. "I guess it could be. It has all the right elements."

"Do you know who made it? Can you tell?"

The witch looked at him, then back at the ring before shaking her head. "I can tell it's not what Emily or Grams would have done. It's not like what is in her spell book."

She gave the ring back to Alaric. She noted he looked a little disappointed and added, "I'll look some more when I get home."

She had started moving towards the door when Alaric's eyes were pulled to her as she let out a gasp. She froze in place and waited for the vampire to enter the room.

"Why are there vampires out there in plain sight?" Bonnie asked Isobel, her expression was hard.

"Because of your kind." Isobel said icily as she walked towards Alaric.

"What? My kind?"

The vampire turned to face Bonnie now speaking with the same tone. "Your kind. From what we can tell, Marcus was attacked by a witch, or witches. Witches can get to Elena too easily here. That's why we're close."

"You can't tell a witch from anyone else – close or far." Bonnie insisted. "Why are you so close?"

"To be able to get to Elena. Damon is giving her a ring with a button that, if she pushes, will bring us to her in seconds."

"Damon's here too?"

Isobel was visibly irritated. She turned back to Alaric. "Get rid of her, Rick."

Alaric sighed and turned to Bonnie. "You should go. Elena's waiting for you."

"Get rid of the guy following me around." Bonnie said as she turned and left the classroom.

"Witches attacked Marcus? The same ones who made the ring?" Alaric held the ring out.

"Our best guess. We have no idea who or if it was the ring maker."

"Did Katherine send the other ring to Sarah?"

"Yes. We haven't heard back from them, though."

Alaric nodded.

Isobel smiled slightly. "I have been sent to help you with this one."

"I have class in a couple of minutes." Alaric noted.

"I am capable of researching without you, Rick."

"I don't have my books here either."

Isobel was not fazed. "Do you have a computer with an internet connection here?"

Alaric nodded.

"That's all I need, Rick. Katherine gave me the number of someone who might be able to help. Get me on the net and go to class."

* * *

Relief

Sarah knocked on the door she had been directed to. She had tried to think of what to say to Elena as she drove. She didn't really have much.

"May I speak with Elena?" Sarah asked the woman who opened the door.

Jenna hesitated. 'Anyone could be a threat to Elena,' she had been told.

"About?"

Sarah had no idea who this was or what she should to say to her. She decided to play it safe.

"She helped me with some stuff a couple of days ago. I just need to ask her something."

Jenna hesitated, but decided to give Sarah a head motion to invite her in. At least she would be able to tell if she was a vampire.

"Thank you," Sarah said as she entered. "Are you Elena's sister?"

"Aunt, and guardian."

"OK." Sarah said. "Is she home?"

Jenna shook her head and motioned for Sarah to sit in the living room. "She should be home any minute. Can I get you anything?"

"Just water, please."

Sarah heard the front door open before Jenna had returned. She rose and faced the door as Elena entered with Damon.

Sarah was relieved when Elena ran to her and gave her a hug. "Sarah!"

Jenna was back with the water, also a little relieved that Elena seemed to know Sarah.

"Are you going to introduce us?"

"Sarah, my Aunt Jenna. Jenna, this is Sarah Proctor. She's been a big help to me in the short time I've known her."

* * *

The Distance

"Are you sure?" Alaric asked Isobel.

Isobel's face was hard. "No doubt. No wonder that witch attacked her."

"Sarah saved Elena."

"The question is, for what?" Isobel said, pulling her phone out. "They can't be trusted."

"Who are you going to call?"

Isobel ignored the question. "At least there's hundreds of miles between them," she muttered as she pushed the buttons on her phone.


	73. The Brother and the Friend

_Even though Christmas is past, Peachie X is still giving the gift of her Beta..._

The Brother and the Friend

Sarah was getting impatient. She had come a long way to talk to Elena, but Elena was so busy talking to Jenna about her that she had to interrupt.

"Elena, I need to talk to you for a minute, please. And it needs to be alone – just you and me."

Elena could tell that Sarah had not wanted to interrupt, and decided that there must be a good reason. She looked at Damon who did not look happy.

"Okay, we can go upstairs." Elena's eyes continued to hold Damon's. "You need to be where you can't hear."

Damon's face was hard. "Leaving you alone with witches hasn't worked out so well."

"Sarah saved me twice, Damon. I'll be fine."

Elena thought she heard Jenna take a quick breath, but kept her eyes fixed on Damon.

"I've heard that before."

"Please Damon. Just give us half an hour. You know as well as I do what she's done for me."

Damon pulled his eyes from Elena to Sarah, who was also looking at him. "Yes. And she knows what will happen if you are not perfectly fine in thirty minutes." Damon turned and started to leave, though he stopped and turned back to the watch them from the front door.

Elena was leading Sarah to the stairs when they both turned to look at the door as it opened. Jeremy pushed himself past Damon and headed to the stairs when he stopped, seeing that Elena had a visitor.

Elena was trying to read his expression when Sarah spoke from behind her. "Who's this?"

Elena turned back to her. Her face wore the same expression as her brother's. Elena knew what it was and did not like it.

"My brother. Come on," Elena said, pulling Sarah until she was in front of her, then pushing her up the stairs.

Sarah managed to keep her eyes on Jeremy as she was pushed up. "You have a brother?"

"Little brother. Half your age." Elena said as she pushed Sarah.

Sarah was at the top of the stairs before she looked at Elena. "He's taller than either of us, and I don't remember telling you my age."

Elena grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her to her bedroom as Jeremy called out "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Jeremy thought the bedroom door was slammed harder that it should have been.

"Who is she?" Jeremy asked Damon who just gave an annoyed growl and left the house.

Jeremy looked at Jenna now. His aunt answered, trying not to give much information.

"Just someone Elena met while she was away." Jenna turned and walked to the kitchen so she wouldn't have to talk any more about it.

Jeremy looked back at where he had last seen her. "Elena brought a friend…"

* * *

The Reveal

"People died because of what you did, Sarah."

Sarah had expected this reaction. She had it herself when she thought about it. Talking about it made her just as sick as thinking about it always had.

"You're right. I never killed anyone directly, but they died because of my inaction."

"You didn't tell me this."

The blonde had to close her eyes. "It's not something I brag about, Elena. It never came up when we talked. If it had, I would not have hid it from you."

"I have no idea who you are." Elena said, her face harder than Sarah had hoped.

"It's not who I am. I was twelve. It made me sick when I did it, but I had to. It was so hard to talk to my mom about it."

Sarah looked at Elena – she hadn't softened much.

"I did talk to her, Elena. I was so upset, and she didn't like doing it either. Then Aunt Sylvia's husband was killed by one of the vampires we had been helping. That did it. My mom said she did not want that for me."

Elena's expression changed. "I lost my parents." she said softly. "It changes things."

"Your mother, the vampire?" Sarah asked.

"Isobel is by birth mother. She gave me up for adoption before she turned. Though I was related to my parents – it's kind of complicated in a gross way."

"Still, the vampire seems to care."

"She does," Elena confirmed. "sometimes she shows it. So you changed from bad to good? Just like that?"

"No, Elena, not just like that. All we had ever known were vampires and witches that were dark. We moved and tried to leave that life behind."

"Nobody came after you?"

"Not that I know of. I don't think anyone thought it was unusual after what had happened."

Elena nodded. "But you're good now?"

Sarah stared at Elena. This was actually a hard question to answer. "We try to help people, protect them from vampires. We would protect them from other witches too, if we knew of dark ones near us. But really, Elena, it's not that simple. It's just us. We don't really know what we're doing, if we're helping the wrong people."

The human wasn't really following. "Surely saving anyone from a vampire trying to kill them is good."

The witch nodded. "That's what we thought. Then we saw vampires that weren't attacking people. Things weren't so simple anymore."

"Still," Elena felt she had to argue, "people need protection from vampires. Witches have always done that."

Sarah shook her head. "Most witches care as much about people as vampires care about them. We just don't have to feed on them. Witches are mostly about the power of being witches."

"But Emily Bennett protected Mystic Falls. And Bonnie's family married humans."

"Emily Bennett was rare, Elena. I don't know why. My dad was human, but he left, once he found out what my mom was, what we were. He probably knew we weren't exactly using our power for good."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Without waiting for an answer, Jenna entered the room.

"Elena look outside. There's some…whatever in our yard."

Elena, seeing how upset her aunt was, moved quickly to the window to see. She could see a couple of vampires outside, but was not startled. She knew who they were and why they were there.

"It's OK, Jenna," the niece said, trying to calm her aunt. "They just think they need to be close to me when a vampire is not inside with me. They must have moved close when Damon left."

"They're here to protect you." Jenna deduced. She shook her head. "Why, Elena?"

Elena wished she didn't have to explain, but knew she did. "They think that Marcus, the guy that was with Stefan here, was attacked by a witch. They're just looking out for me, Jenna."

Jenna nodded. "I remember Marcus. How did it come to this?" She muttered to herself as she backed through door and closed it.

Elena moved back to her bed, followed by Sarah.

"You don't think it's because of me? Because they found out about my past?"

The human looked at the witch briefly before shaking her head. "They wouldn't have let you close to me if they had known."

Sarah nodded. "What about you? What will you do, now that you know? Do you think less of me?"

"Is there anything you haven't told me? You never personally killed anyone?" The brunette felt a pang of guilt as she asked the question. Was she a hypocrite?

The blonde shook head. "Just vampires. You know everything now, Elena."

"OK. I've done some things I wish I hadn't had to, that I wish I could forget."

Sarah released a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Will you help me explain to Katherine?"

Elena gave Sarah a small smile and nod, wondering how that would go.

* * *

The Brother and the Mother

Jenna had forbidden Jeremy from going upstairs and was actually watching him closely enough to keep him from doing it. He was waiting for Elena and her friend to come down, but was getting bored.

He had just opened the door when Jenna yelled "No! There's some outside."

Jeremy opened the door anyway. "It's OK, Jenna. They have to be invited."

He stood in the doorway, looking outside. The sun had set, it was starting to get dark. He noticed Isobel standing nearby and wondered if he could ask her about who was after his sister.

He didn't really know her. He knew she had kidnapped him and his uncle to get something from Elena, but she had let him go unharmed. He knew she was helping Elena now, and that Elena trusted her.

Still, he had to gather his nerves together to actually leave the house and approach her. The vampire's expression was mostly annoyed when he reached her.

"You should stay inside," Isobel told him coolly.

"Somebody hurt Elena," Jeremy said. "She won't tell me who, but there's no reason for you not to."

"Anyone who hurt her is dead."

"Then why are you here? Why is she still in danger?" Jeremy was fingering his ring as he spoke. It made him feel better as he faced the vampire.

"I do not answer to you, Jeremy Gilbert. Go back inside."

Jeremy started at her briefly and decided she wouldn't tell him anything. "Fine. I'll ask her friend when they come back down."

Isobel was stunned. She and the others had only seen Damon and Jeremy enter the home. She grabbed him as he turned around. "Friend? Who's with her?"

Jeremy was startled now. "I...I don't know. A girl."

"A witch? Is she blonde?"

Isobel was still holding him. He tried to pull away as he nodded. "Blonde. Is she a witch?"

"Damn!" Isobel released him and pulled her phone out, dialing. "Damon!" She yelled into her phone as soon as he answered.

* * *

The Boyfriend

"You'll stay here tonight and then go back tomorrow?" Elena confirmed. Sarah had spoken to Nathaniel and her mother. They were sitting next to each other on the edge of Elena's bed.

Sarah nodded. "Thank you for the offer. One less thing to do, and thanks for understanding."

"Sure." Elena said as she heard the commotion in the hall.

"The door's open Damon. Don't break it!" Jenna yelled.

Sarah acted instinctively as the door burst open. Damon ran into the protection spell she had cast around Elena and herself. Elena found herself leaning back from the vampire as she saw him hit the wall the spell created.

"Get away from her!" Damon yelled in as harsh a voice as Elena had ever heard from him.


	74. The Risks and the Protection

_Oh yeah, almost forgot. Peachie X was Beta again on this. Yay! (Did forget actually. Please don't tell her...)_

The Risks

Elena could clearly see that Damon was livid. Jenna was behind him, in the hall looking through the doorway. She looked afraid, not a surprise to Elena given Damon's state of rage.

Elena turned to Sarah. "I need to talk to him. Can you drop the spell around me but leave it around you?"

"He can hear you Elena."

"Still, not around me. He won't hurt me."

Sarah was uncertain, but complied. To her surprise, Damon did not move. He did continue to scowl.

"Get away from her, Elena. You don't know who she is."

"Damon, I know you're upset, but I do know about her. How did you find out?"

"Isobel."

Elena shook her head. "Then Katherine probably already knows."

"Probably," Damon said harshly. "Move away from her and I'll deal with her."

"Stop it Damon!" Elena said sharply. "You know what Bonnie did to you, Sarah is stronger."

"I don't care!" Damon spat. He would have said more, but Bonnie came through the door.

"You should. Elena is the only reason you survived." Bonnie moved to sit next to Elena.

Elena looked at Bonnie questioningly.

"Jeremy called me."

"When I saw that Isobel was upset and calling Damon." Jeremy added as he entered the room.

Damon was still glaring. "Elena, we need to talk. Away from witches and baby brothers."

Elena wanted to talk to him alone as well.

"Yes. Please guys." Elena's eyes moved to each of the witches and then found her brother. "Jer, will you take them to your room or downstairs?"

"His room," Bonnie was glaring at Damon now. "One scream will bring us back."

"Fine," Elena replied a little harsher than she intended. "Just go."

Sarah kept her eyes on Damon as she let the spell drop and followed Jeremy into the bathroom and then his room. She was amazed that Elena still seemed calm around such an angry vampire.

Elena watched them leave then turned back to the irate vampire. She patted the bed next to her. "Come closer, Damon." It took no effort to speak to him calmly, she still completely trusted him.

Damon shook his head. "I'm ready to rip someone's head off. I know better than to get too close to you when I feel like this."

The girl didn't try to hide her disappointment, but didn't push the issue. She knew that one reason she was safe around Damon was because he knew when to stay away from her. She decided to stay where she was as she talked to him.

"Sarah told me about her past, Damon. She also told me she's changed. What were you told?"

"That the vampires that attacked you wore rings from her family."

"She doesn't deny that, Damon, but she and her mom left her family, because they don't want to do that, to help vampires anymore."

Damon took a step towards her, then stopped himself. "Her aunt tried to kill you Elena – twice."

"And she saved me – twice." Elena's voice was rising now – it wasn't intentional, she was just getting caught up in Damon's tone.

"Her family kills people – people, witches and vampires!" the vampire yelled back.

"She hasn't!" Elena heard herself this time and tried to speak calmly. "Yeah, she has a past, but so do you. You've killed people, witches and vampires yourself."

"You always knew what I was!" Damon growled.

"That's not true. I didn't know about you or Stefan until long after I met you both. You kept it from me."

The vampire's anger had not left, but at least his voice was quieter. "You don't know what she's done."

"Do you? I don't know what you've done and I don't want to. I know what you are now."

Damon wasn't buying. "You don't know what she is now. You just met her."

Elena took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Damon, please. Come and sit by me. Let's talk about this."

Damon shook his head. "Not yet. I can't be that close yet. The witch should never be that close to you again, I can't risk you like that."

"What do you want for me Damon? Do you want to lock me up so no one can get to me without your permission?"

The vampire's voice didn't falter. "Yes. That's what I want."

"I heard you tell Katherine to let me be myself. You've never stopped me from doing what she asks." Elena closed her eyes briefly. "You've always said you trusted me. Trust me now. Sarah helps me – she's not a threat to me."

The vampire's face was still hard. "It was too risky for you to be alone with the witches before and it's too risky now."

"It's risky to get in a car and drive, Damon. People die all of the time doing it – I would have if not for you. These risks are my life. You have to let me live my life."

Damon's expression was changing, though not softening. "You, not her."

Elena looked desperate now. "Damon, you once promised me you would protect her. I'm going to hold you to that."

The vampire closed his eyes and turned away from her. He moved his fist towards the wall, but held up enough to just make noise, not a hole.

"If anything happens to you because of her…"

"I know, Damon. It won't."

He moved towards the door without turning around. Elena was startled by this.

"Damon, where are you going?"

He stopped. "I don't know. I still need to rip a head off."

"Are we OK?" Elena's desperation was audible.

The vampire kept his back to her. "We are. I'm not."

"Will I see you tomorrow? Will you pick me up for school?"

Damon consciously calmed his voice to reply "Yes" as he moved through the door. He quickly picked up speed to go through the house and into the street. He stopped close enough to Elena's house that he could still see Isobel on the porch. He took a few breaths, wondering why he was trying to calm himself while deciding what to do next.

* * *

Not One of Us

Bonnie and Jeremy were both staring at Sarah. Sarah had to avert her eyes. Telling Elena's friends and family about her past hadn't been any easier than telling Elena.

"You made mistakes, but you've learned."

Sarah's eyes moved to Jeremy as he spoke. "Yes. I was too young to really understand. I never liked it, but it's the past. I try to do good now."

"I trusted you with my best friend. If I had known..." Bonnie didn't finish.

"She can't change the past, Bonnie." Jeremy interjected. "You've made mistakes too."

Sarah gave Jeremy a grateful smile. "I just want to help Elena, and stop whoever killed my neighbor."

Bonnie stared at the other witch. "Damon, Katherine and me. We will fight over who gets to kill you if anything happens to Elena because of you."

Sarah's face hardened. "Yeah, I'm not stupid. I picked up on that a long time ago."

"Bonnie, she's on our side. She'll help us figure out who's after Elena."

"Us?" Bonnie's face showed her disbelief as she turned to look at Elena's brother. "Since when are you part of us?"

Determination showed on his face. "I'm not letting anyone hurt Elena. I'm going to help find whoever it is that did."

"The ones that did are dead!" Bonnie replied harshly.

"What can you do?" Sarah asked Jeremy quickly. "Do you have some kind of gift or power?"

Jeremy smiled at her. He held up the hand that wore the ring and moved it to where she could see it, pointing at the ring with his other hand. Then he moved his finger to point to his head.

"You've got to be kidding me," Bonnie said. "You're not going anywhere near any of this."

"Elena goes, and she doesn't have a ring."

"She doesn't want you anywhere near this!" the witch yelled back.

"Bonnie, she'll hear you," Sarah said softly. That made them all stop talking and listen for a few seconds.

They had all heard Damon's voice before, they all noticed it was silent now.

Bonnie left and went through the bathroom door immediately, followed by the others. She stopped short when she saw Elena curled up on her side on the bed, tears in her eyes.

"Elena," Bonnie said softly as she climbed onto the bed, facing Elena and pulling her into a hug. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Elena's voice was soft, almost a whisper. "Damon's so upset."

Bonnie looked at Sarah and Jeremy who were standing at the side of the bed now. "At you?"

She felt the slight shake of Elena's head. "Not at me. He's worried about me. I don't know what he'll do."

A few things ran through Bonnie's mind about what Damon had done before, but she wasn't going to mention them to her friend. She controlled herself and tried to be comforting as she whispered "It'll be OK, Elena. Everything will be OK."

* * *

Unprotected

Isobel heard Damon coming towards the door and saw him go through it as she moved out of the way. She didn't try to stop him.

The other vampires had left the Gilbert yard when Damon entered the house. It was their protocol, she didn't interfere. They would be next to her immediately if she needed it. She was just glad Damon was in there with the witch. Actually, she was glad when Bonnie arrived. If they saw eye to eye on nothing else, she knew Bonnie would protect her daughter.

She was about to call the other vampires to close in on the house after Damon left when a commotion came to her attention from where one of the vampires were. Isobel moved immediately towards him. It took almost no time to reach him, he had been close.

When the vampire did reach him, she realized she had been concentrating on what was happening in the house while trouble was brewing outside. Isobel pulled out her phone, pressed a speed dial and held onto it until she was caught up in the fray.

All three of the other vampires who were with her watching Elena's house were there, though two were lying on the ground – dead or disabled. Isobel moved to the join the other who was fighting for his life.

They were fighting a vampire and he was strong, as strong as any Isobel had ever fought.

There were two other figures nearby, though she didn't know what they were. One or both of them had started speaking when the vampire she was fighting snarled at them. "No! She is unprotected. Go to her now, bring her back."

Isobel turned to follow them, but was immediately struck. Elena's mother had to stay and fight, hoping the phone would bring the needed help.


	75. The Fuming and the Urgency

_Peachie X is still Beta. If you think she's not helping, you're living in La La Land (not an insult, I spend a fair amount of time there myself...)_

The Fuming

Damon hadn't calmed down any, he was still fuming – about the girl he loved, about witches and about Isobel, who didn't seem to care who went into the Gilbert house.

His back was to all of them, his eyes closed as he tried to think of something to say or do now – something that would make Elena see the danger she was putting herself in trusting the Proctor witches. He couldn't believe she was using his own words against him – words he had spoken to get Katherine to let her do what she wanted. Yes, she had always survived her recklessness, but she survived because of him and now she was ignoring everything he said.

He knew it wasn't helping anyone – not her, not him. All his anger had done was ruin a few street signs. At least that had felt good.

He turned to look back at Isobel on the porch again, still not sure what he was going to do next.

She wasn't there.

It took a few seconds of concentration before he heard the fight. Isobel and the others – all of them. It took a few more seconds for the realization. He had left Elena alone, or in the hands of witches and baby brothers – which was probably worse.

He didn't hesitate any more. He went to her at top speed.

* * *

The Instinct

Jeremy sat on the bed, waiting for his sister to return. He had had enough of the hiding, the lies. She had said she would talk to him – tell him everything he wanted to know. She was telling him nothing. She didn't care that whatever hurt her could hurt him, or Jenna. She didn't care that he wanted to help.

Yes, she looked pretty messed up when she pulled herself off the bed and went to the bathroom with Bonnie and Sarah. She said she was going to get cleaned up. Fine, she would look better when he made her tell him the truth. Even if she wouldn't do it, Sarah had seemed to like him enough that she might tell him. The thought of the cute blonde that had come to visit Elena made him smile briefly, but he quickly returned to thinking about his sister. Somebody would tell him the truth, but it should be Elena. He would insist. He would threaten to go find whoever was after her himself - that had worked last time.

His eyes met those of his sister when he stood and spoke as she entered, followed by the others. He was speaking to the witches "Will you give me a minute with my sister?"

He felt a little hurt when he saw the expression on Elena's face. It looked like fear. All he wanted was for her to talk to him, all he wanted was for her to keep her promise to him..

He looked to her best friend at the same time as his sister turned to look at her. "Bonnie? Please. I just need a minute."

He saw Bonnie's eyes move from his to Elena and back. Then she nodded to him, pushed Sarah back into the bathroom and shut the door.

Elena stayed close to the door as she faced him. Jeremy decided to stay near the bed.

"Elena, what's going on? Who hurt you?"

His sister didn't answer him. He tried to read her expression as he spoke again.

"You said Damon's upset. Why? Because someone is trying to hurt you?"

Elena closed her eyes and took a step back, shaking her head.

"You accuse me of holding back from you. You said you would tell me anything about this stuff, Elena."

She was inches away from the bathroom door now. She did look at him again, but her uncomfortable expression was the same. "Please don't do this, Jer."

Jeremy took a step towards her. "Who, Elena? Or wha…" was all he managed to get out before the door to the hallway burst open behind him.

He turned around to see two people that he didn't know, a woman and a man, standing in the doorway. "That's her!" the woman said quickly. She began saying something softly he didn't understand.

It was instinct, not some conscious thought, that made him move between the door and his sister. His mind did not have time to register it as his sister yelled his name. It was too busy registering the sharp pain he felt. It was too busy blacking out.

* * *

The Concentration

It probably wasn't the right thing to do, but Bonnie was doing it. Sarah knew Elena might not approve, but she held her ear close to the door, just as the other witch was doing.

She couldn't really hear anything, not until she heard Elena's scream.

"Jeremy! No!"

Then she was stumbling as Bonnie was forcing the door open. She was able to quickly right herself and enter Elena's bedroom. The other witch was going to Elena who was sprawled on the floor behind the door.

Sarah's eyes moved to towards Jeremy and then the doorway. She saw a woman clearly, as well as part of another person. Her eyes remained on the woman. Sarah recognized the woman's stance and quickly pieced together what had happened. A witch's spell, meant for Elena, had hit Jeremy. Worse, the witch was starting to cast again.

She reacted automatically, beginning to chant. She stared at the witch in the doorway who had a sudden surprised expression. 'She wasn't expecting me.' Sarah thought to herself when the witch turned her head and took a few steps back.

Then she saw that Damon was in the hallway, growling. He was twisting the head of whoever was there with the witch. The witch must have sent a spell towards Damon, he was suddenly on his knees as she ran away.

Sarah let her spell go and started towards the door, almost tripping over Jeremy before she noticed him again. She glanced to the doorway again. Damon was struggling, trying to get up. He was alive.

She looked back at Jeremy. Breathing, but nothing else. She heard Elena call from behind her again, "Jer!", before the human girl stumbled again. Bonnie was speaking to her, saying something about a ring, trying to get her to be careful.

The blonde witch forced these things out of her mind. She put her hand on his shoulder and concentrated. She had been taught how to help a vampire recover from a witch's spell. It was years ago, but she had done it. Of course she had never tried it on a human, but this was Elena's brother.

She did have to remind herself that spells weren't dark. It was how they were used. When she was so much younger, she had used it to help the vampires that her family worked for recover from the spells of hostile witches. This was different, this would help Elena – if it worked.

She heard Bonnie speaking to Elena again.

"He's breathing, see? He has the ring, Elena. He'll be fine."

"What's she doing?"

No answer came, but Sarah was pushing the girls' voices out of her mind anyway. She had to concentrate. The last thing she noticed hearing was Elena calling the name of her vampire.

"Damon!"

* * *

The Difference

'Bonnie's right,' Elena told herself as she pulled away from her best friend. "Jeremy's breathing, he has the ring, he'll be fine."

She stumbled a little as she moved away from the witches. Bonnie didn't follow her – she was watching Sarah.

There was someone in the hall with Damon, not moving. She paid no attention to him, she just moved to the vampire she loved. She stopped just a little away from him. He was sitting, back against the wall.

"Damon?" She approached him hesitantly, recalling how upset he was earlier, that he didn't want her too close to him.

She was relieved when he looked at her, though she could tell he was stressed, angry.

"Damon. Are you OK?"

She wasn't sure why Damon did not respond immediately, but he did hold her eyes. His voice was hoarse when he finally spoke.

"I'll be fine – I just need a minute. Damn witch."

She made the connection then – he had been hit by a witch's spell again. She remembered the last time it happened and became frantic.

"Damon, are you sure? You were hit with a spell again. What can I do for…"

"Elena!" Damon said hoarsely.

She stopped, but hadn't calmed down. He looked like it took effort when he spoke to her again.

"It's not the same. This was just a jolt – not very long. Meant to stop me – no more. She didn't have time for more."

Elena understood. She knelt next to him, praying he would not push her away. He didn't.

"Just a little time? Is there nothing I can do?"

Damon's face did not soften, but she was glad his voice was returning to normal as he answered her.

"Isobel's fighting. Call Stefan – he needs to check on her."

Elena turned and sat next to him as she pulled her phone out. She tentatively reached for his hand with one of hers while she pushed buttons with the other, breathing a sigh of relief when he took it.

"Stefan? Please. I need you right now."

* * *

The Helping

Jenna was startled as she worked in the kitchen. She heard a door slam, a scream and a growl. Her mind was rushing before she could get her body to move.

When she could see the stairs, she saw a woman running down them.

"Hey!" she called as she approached the woman, but wasn't quick enough to catch her before she heard the door open and slam again.

She went to the door and opened it, stepping briefly into the darkness before stopping herself. As angered as she was about the violation of her home, she knew there were vampires out here, though she did not see any, and the woman she could see running down the street was not approached by any.

It took her a couple of minutes to decide what to do. By that time, the woman was long gone and anyone important to her was inside anyway.

She had to gasp at what she found at the top of the stairs. Someone was lying there not moving. Elena was cuddled up to Damon. He looked angry, she looked a different kind of upset.

Elena's hand held her phone as she pointed into her bedroom saying "check on Jeremy."

Her eyes didn't stay on Elena long before she followed the pointing phone into the bedroom. She ran inside as soon as she saw Jeremy lying there.

"Jeremy!" she called as soon as she felt Bonnie grab her arm, stopping her.

"Wait," the witch said. Jenna turned to look at her. "She's helping him."

Jenna was confused, but looked back. She hadn't really noticed Sarah there before. Jeremy was lying on his side, both of the blonde witch's hands were on his shoulder. She could tell he was breathing, eyes open, moving his arms and legs.

She turned back to Bonnie. "What happened? Is he alright?"

Bonnie had only nodded when she turned as she heard Sarah speak.

"Help him sit up."

She let the witches take hold of her nephew on either side and pull him into a sitting position. She knelt in front of him and pulled him into a hug. "Thank God."

* * *

Following

Isobel was holding her own. She was glad for that, though she knew she was able to do it was because there was another of Katherine's vampires with her, fighting the hostile vampire. It was a stalemate, at least the two of them were keeping him busy, away from Elena.

She had actually tried to pull herself away to return to the Gilbert house a couple times. Each time, she was set upon by the other vampire. They both needed to be there. At least it seemed they could keep the vampire busy until help came.

Her heart sank as she saw the vampire fighting beside her crumble. She had barely noticed when she found herself flung aside, hitting a fence.

It stunned her a little. She heard the conversation clearly as she pulled herself up.

"Where is she?" the vampire snarled.

A woman's voice, breathing hard, answered, "She wasn't alone. She was with a witch and another vampire."

Isobel had just pulled herself into a standing position when she heard the vampire's angry growl and saw him pointing at her.

"Take this one down. Let's finish these."

She knew then. The woman was a witch. She started moving as the witch turned to face her, but she hesitated, hearing Katherine's voice.

"Isobel?"

The witch and other vampire were gone immediately.

Isobel watched as Katherine whispered into the ear of one of the two vampires that had arrived with her. She saw him leave in the same direction the others had gone.

"One's a witch," Isobel managed to tell Katherine. "it's dangerous."

"He won't confront, just follow." Katherine said to her, moving to the nearest downed vampire. Isobel followed her lead, moving to the vampire that had been fighting next to her. He was down but was still alive.

Katherine joined her, shaking her head. "One gone, two down. Is Elena safe?"

"I left her at her house. The witch didn't have her. I hope that means she's safe."

"Go back." Katherine told her. "We'll take care of these and join you there shortly."

Elena's mother nodded and left Elena's downed protectors to Katherine.

* * *

Annoyed

Stefan arrived at the Gilbert house at the same time as Isobel. He was startled by the other vampire's appearance. She was dirty and unkempt.

"What happ…" he began.

"Check on Elena." Isobel interrupted, speaking sharply.

Stefan scowled. "She called me, told me to check on you."

The other vampire glared and spoke icily this time. "I'm alive. Make sure she is."

He was annoyed, but he had done as Elena asked. He turned and entered the house.

* * *

The Urgency

Elena thought she could actually feel Damon's stress, his anger as she held his hand. She had followed him up when he stood, he was still next to her holding her hand, but said very little to her.

She turned and looked at his face, hoping he would turn his eyes to her. "Please Damon. Tell me that you are all right."

Damon closed his eyes at first. She thought the worst, but then he reached behind her and pulled her to him. She was breathing a sigh of relief when he spoke softly.

"I said I would always be next to you, always be near to you. But I left you alone."

"You were upset."

She could tell he was trying to calm himself to speak to her. "I'm always upset when someone's after you. It was no excuse to leave you alone."

She thought the words – 'I wasn't alone'. It hadn't worked last time, so she kept them to herself.

"You came back, that was what I needed."

She felt his hand on the back of her head. She concentrated on it briefly before speaking again.

"Do you need blood? You did last time."

"It's not the same as last time," Damon repeated. "but yes. I'll get some at home when you have more help here."

"Maybe I should keep some here. You are protecting me, and you're not the only one." "Maybe,' she thought, 'I just want to keep him here with me. He shouldn't have to leave me when he's hurt'.

"I wouldn't ask that of you, Elena. Neither would Katherine's."

Elena heard Stefan's question from behind her. "Not ask you to keep what here?"

She turned herself around, but kept hold of one of Damon's arms so it would still be around her. She decided Stefan didn't need to know her thoughts, so she shook her head.

"Blood." Damon said flatly.

She saw Stefan grimace, then look into her bedroom.

"What happened? Who is that?"

Elena realized he must be asking about Sarah as Bonnie came through the door.

"How's Jeremy?" she asked the witch quickly.

"He's fine now."

"What happened?" Stefan asked again, continuing to look into the bedroom.

"Jeremy was hit by a spell." Bonnie answered. "We don't think it was meant to kill. Whatever it was, it was meant for Elena."

Elena saw Stefan turn toward her. She didn't want to meet his gaze, but did. She was glad when he turned back to the witch.

Instead of to Stefan, her best friend spoke to her. "Are you sure he's safe? He was ready to kill someone a few minutes ago."

"Yes," Elena said – irritated – before she could stop herself. She regretted saying it – she knew Bonnie had helped her.

"I got my kill," Damon replied harshly. "I just hope it's a witch."

She was still annoyed when Bonnie spoke again. "You know that you're only alive because witches were here. Without us, she would have taken you out and still gotten to Elena. Witches stopped her."

"And Jeremy," Elena added softly, though mostly to contradict the witch.

Maybe it was something in her tone when she said it , but Elena felt Damon turn her around a pull her into a hug – she willingly let him.

"I still hope it's a witch," She heard him say.

She turned back to look at Stefan as he spoke again. He was looking at the body as he asked. "Are you all right, Elena? Isobel is worried."

She had forgotten. She looked at him hopefully. "She's OK? Damon said she was fighting when he came in here."

Stefan nodded. "She looks like she was fighting, but she seems fine."

Elena let out a breath, relieved. Then she wondered if she had ever worried about Isobel before.

She thought Damon's voice sounded urgent when he spoke to his brother. "They're getting close to her." He nodded towards Elena, as she held onto his arm which was still wrapped around her shoulder. She turned back to look up at him as he spoke. "I need blood, but we need to go after them before they try again."

She didn't like hearing it, but didn't argue.

"Do we know who or where?" Stefan asked.

Damon started to glare at his brother. "We have a body, we have rings, we have a couple of witches. We'll figure it out."


	76. The Invitation and the Plea

_Peachie X did Beta on this again. I am grateful again..._

The Invitation

"We'll get them Elena. I don't care who it is or where they are."

"Blood first, Damon." Elena whispered into the vampire's ear as he hugged her at the door. "Revenge later."

He had not calmed down any, but at least he was talking to her.

"Right word." He said as he opened the door.

"You'll be back tonight?" Elena asked before she noticed Isobel on the doorstep, she was shocked by her mother's appearance.

Damon ignored her question and glared at Isobel. "You're the only one here. Why?"

Isobel had been staring at Elena, but turned to the other vampire and returned his glare. "One dead, two injured before the witch ran away when Katherine came."

"What?" Elena gasped.

Isobel removed her glare as she moved her eyes back to Elena. "More are coming."

"More to lose because of me…" Elena whispered to herself.

"I can stay." Damon offered.

Elena quickly shook her head. "No. You're hurt – get blood. Stefan's here, as are two witches and more vampires are coming." She pulled him down for a kiss. "Go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Damon nodded and left – not because he thought she was safe now, but because he intended to take matters into his own hands after regaining his strength.

"Are you alright?" Elena asked her mother.

"Better than anyone else that was here."

Elena could only nod thinking that this was all because of her. She stared at her mother briefly and made the decision.

"Do you want to…" Elena began, nodding her head towards the inside.

"You don't have to," Isobel interrupted. "Maybe you like to be in the same house as witches, but I don't."

Elena frowned. "They saved me."

"They weren't alone Elena," Stefan said from behind her, carrying the body of the man that had been killed.

"I know." Elena whispered, the stress beginning to show on her face. She watched as Stefan passed the body through to door to Isobel.

"Do they know if he was a witch?" the girl asked her ex.

"Sarah didn't know him." Stefan said as he handed the body to Isobel. "She took a picture with her phone and is sending it to her mother."

Elena nodded and turned back to Isobel.

"Thank you for helping me, for protecting me. You can come in, when you want."

Isobel was an odd sight with the body of the man slung over her shoulder. "Maybe when the witches are gone." As was so often the case, the daughter could not read her mother's expression as she turned and carried the body out of sight.

Elena was lost in thought as she watched her mother leave. She really was not paying attention as she stepped through the door onto the porch. Stefan started to reach for her, but stopped himself.

"Elena, are you sure it's safe for you outside?"

When Elena realized where she was, she shook her head and took a few deep breaths. He could see tears starting to form in her eyes as she turned back to face him.

"No. Not inside, not outside. No place I am is safe."

She pushed past him and climbed the stairs to join her family.

* * *

The Sarcasm

An annoyed Elena sat in the living room with Sarah. Jeremy was lying down in his room, Stefan, Bonnie and Jenna were in the kitchen – talking about her, she thought.

"They treat me like I'm not here," she grumbled to the witch. "Talk about me behind my back. Keep things from me."

"They're just worried about you, Elena." Sarah said.

Elena looked at her new friend desperately. "It's not me they need to worry about. I'm not the one getting hurt. Jeremy was hurt, Damon and other vampires."

"Jeremy's fine."

"Because of you, wasn't it?"

Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. What I did was meant to help vampires. I hoped it helped him, but I'm not really sure what the spell that hit him was meant to do to you."

Elena shook her head. "I'm the target, but everyone around me gets hurt."

"You've been hurt, Elena." the witch noted.

"I've been sitting around expecting others to take care of me and my family."

Sarah stared at the human, not sure what she was getting at.

Elena looked at her, with an expression that eventually turned to pleading. "I know you're tired, you had a long drive to get here. I know that, but will you go somewhere with me, Sarah?"

This was a surprise. "What do you mean?"

Before Elena could respond, they both heard a knock at the door. They rose and moved to where they could see Stefan answer it.

"I need to see Elena" Katherine said as she pushed by him without asking for an invitation.

"I'm here." Elena said.

Katherine walked to stand near her, but stared at Sarah. "I hear that Sarah had a hand in saving you."

"Me and Jeremy," Elena replied. "She helped him recover from the spell that was meant for me."

"Maybe." Sarah said quickly.

"I also hear that Proctor witches are not the most trustworthy." Katherine continued to stare at Sarah.

The witch became defensive. "We keep our promises – whoever they are made to. I've hidden nothing from you."

"She can help you," Elena quickly interjected. "She can help the vampires hurt by the witch's spell."

Katherine's eyes moved to Elena for a few seconds, then back to Sarah.

"Is this true?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes. I was taught the spells when I was young. I used them to help vampires my family was working for. I can help, if they are still alive."

Bonnie, who was standing in the doorway by this time with Jenna and Stefan, could not help herself. "Vampire's aren't alive."

Stefan moved a finger to the witch's lips. Those engaged in conversation ignored her.

"Will you come with me and help them?" Katherine asked Sarah.

The blonde witch turned to Elena.

"Please?" the human asked. "They were hurt because of me." Then she turned to Katherine. "She'll be safe with them – and you?"

"As safe as you are." The vampire replied.

Elena wasn't really sure how safe that was. Though she had been alone with Katherine fairly often, she had never gone anywhere with just Katherine. She had to hope for the best because the witch agreed.

"I'll go. I have an agreement with you, Elena tells me you keep your agreements."

"Thank you." Elena said softly. "We both appreciate it."

The vampire spoke to Elena again. "I have one following those that attacked you. When we hear from him, we'll go after them tonight."

"They have a witch," Elena argued. She already felt bad about the damage the vampires had taken because of her. "She's taken down several…"

"We know, Elena," the Katherine interrupted. "We have ways of dealing with them, now that we know."

"Yeah. Good job so far." Bonnie said sarcastically.

"Bonnie!" Elena looked at her best friend and shook her head. Then she turned back to Katherine. "OK. But since Sarah is staying here tonight, I need to talk to her for a minute before you take her to the others."

Without waiting for the vampire to respond, Elena grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her to the stairs.

* * *

Why They Follow Her

Sarah and Elena were in the bathroom, water running, whispering.

"You think we can get away from them? From Katherine's vampires?"

Elena shook her head. "No. But I think they'll follow, stay with me. I just need to get away from Jeremy and Jenna, to keep this away from them until we can get rid of the threat."

"So we'll find the threat and do what, Elena?"

"We – you, me, Katherine and her vampires – will take them out."

"Katherine will go after them without us, Elena. We won't know where they are."

Elena had an answer for this as well. "You're a witch, cast a spell. You can locate her when you get back and they leave, can't you?"

"If I have something of hers. Do you expect me to pick her pocket while we're gone?"

"Can't you do it with the blood of a family member?" Elena asked, pointing at herself.

"I thought you were Isobel's family." The witch shook her head as the realization hit her. "Katherine's too – which is why you look like her."

Elena hesitated, trying to read the blonde's expression. "So will you do it?"

Sarah still could not force herself to just agree. "What if she asks me to go with her and the vampires?"

"She won't, not after what happened here. She'll want you to stay with me." Elena shook her head. "But she needs you with her. This way, she'll have both."

Sarah sighed, starting to understand why all of the vampires, Bonnie and Alaric seemed to do what Elena said.


	77. The Need and the Trust

_It may have been a while since this was updated, but no, the story is not over yet. I am still here, as is Peachie X with her wonderful Beta. Heck, we're just getting started..._

Whatever She Needs

Sarah was relieved that the trip had taken very little time. She really had nothing to say to Katherine, and the vampire did not speak to her.

The witch was not very comfortable during the drive, though the vampire had always been at least civil to her, except for their first meeting when Elena had nearly been killed by her aunt. She was glad she had not seen that side of Katherine since.

They pulled first into a driveway, then to a garage of an average house. She was relieved to be out of the silent car and led into the house. It was fully furnished. There were several other people around – she assumed vampires, though she could not really tell.

She was led into a room with three beds, two of them had vampires lying on top of the covers. She recognized the signs of a vampire that was hit by a spell and immediately moved to the one that looked worse than the other.

Sarah knew Katherine was behind her, watching. She almost wanted to turn back and look at the vampire, but she had been taught better. This required her complete concentration.

The blonde witch felt some satisfaction as the vampire under her hands started to respond to her spell. Though it had been years since she had done it – at least before she had tried to help Jeremy earlier, she was immediately comfortable with the process. She remembered everything. She felt even more satisfaction when she heard Katherine's gasp of surprise.

"It's true."

Sarah nodded, but stayed in place, concentrating on the task at hand. She left the vampire when he looked normal and moved to sit up.

She saw Katherine move towards him as she moved to the other hurt vampire. She actually was curious about how Katherine would react, what she would do with or say to the recovered vampire. It wasn't hard to push that out of her mind and concentrate on the new task, the new spell. Again, it was what she was taught. Do her job and leave the vampires to themselves.

As she moved back from the second vampire and watched him sit up, Katherine was next to her.

"Amazing. I never knew it could be done. I'm in your debt again, Sarah."

The witch managed a smile and a nod in response.

"Have you done this often?" The vampire asked.

Sarah turned and faced her. "I guess. I was taught the spells when I was eight. I couldn't really do anything else for the vampires we served – they didn't want an eight year old making decisions, but they could take me to the injured ones that were hurt like this and have me heal them. It was most of what I did for four years, before we got away."

"Can you tell anything about the witch who did this?"

"From my healing spells?" Sarah asked. "No. I've never noticed a difference in the way the vampires act or what the spells do."

Katherine looked a little disappointed. "Will you do it again if needed?"

Sarah nodded, turning to look at the vampires who were now up and staring at her, though not speaking. "Do you run into witches a lot?"

"No, but this may not be the last time you're needed tonight. Since you'll be with Elena, I can reach you if we need you."

"Whatever you need." Sarah replied. "Can we go back to Elena's house now?"

The vampire smirked briefly at the witch's obvious discomfort, then pushed it away. "Yes." She led the witch back to the car, though she motioned for several other vampires to join them.

* * *

What He Wouldn't Do (She Hopes) 

"Will you take Bonnie home now?" Elena asked Stefan.

She had been told that there were several other vampires outside now, and she was eager to get rid of her ex and best friend before Sarah returned. She knew they would fight her if they learned what she had planned.

"If witches really did save you earlier, are you sure you want to be without one?" Stefan asked.

"Sarah will be back soon and Bonnie's tired."

"I'm OK, Elena." The witch said.

Elena was having trouble hiding her annoyance. "Well I'm tired. I'd like to rest and just be with my family for a little while."

"It's still early," Stefan noted. "a lot could happen."

"They won't let anything near me Stefan, you know that. Please, let me spend some time with my brother."

Stefan looked over to Jeremy who was sitting nearby, paying attention, though he did not react.

"All right," the vampire finally said, looking at Elena as he moved towards the door. "but you call me if you need something."

Elena quickly agreed. "I will, and thanks for coming tonight."

Bonnie looked briefly at her best friend, but followed Stefan outside. She didn't look very happy.

Elena closed her eyes and let herself relax into the couch she was sitting on, until she felt Jeremy sit next to her. She stayed in place, but opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Are you really OK, Jer?"

"Fine. I mean I felt something hit me when it happened and it hurt. But the next thing I knew I was lying down, Sarah had her hands on me and the pain was gone."

Elena's relief was visible as she nodded. "I'm sorry about what happened."

"That's the point," Jeremy said. "you want me to stay out of this but it still happened. You need to let me help, Elena. This is not just about you – it affects me and Jenna as well."

"Keep your voice down," Elena said, glancing around, afraid Jenna would hear. "I don't want you involved. You could get hurt."

"You have been hurt," Her brother challenged. "so have I now. Do you want Jenna to be next?"

Elena shook her head, irritated. "No. Of course not."

"Let me help, Elena. I heard you in the bathroom, running water so the vampires wouldn't hear. You're up to something – you and Sarah."

The sister was starting to glare at her brother. "She's a witch, Jeremy. She can help."

"I'm your brother. I'm not letting you do this alone. Or do you want Jenna to find out?

Elena wasn't sure how to react. "You wouldn't."

Her brother gave her a look meant to tell her he just might do it.

The glare changed to desperation. "We can't put this burden on her, Jer. It's too hard for her already."

"Then let me help."

Elena couldn't speak. She just stared at him briefly, then buried her face into her hands.

* * *

The Witch's House

Stefan's phone rang as he drove Bonnie home.

Damon did not give him the chance to speak. "Are you with Elena?"

"No. She kicked Bonnie and me out. I'm taking Bonnie home."

"I'm about ready to go. Can you get the witch to come with us?"

Stefan looked over to Bonnie who was looking at the road ahead. He was about to speak when the witch yelled in surprise.

"Stefan, stop!"

The vampire immediately hit his brakes, looking ahead. A figure was in the road in front of him.

He hadn't stopped in time, but the vampire in the street had managed to move out of the way. Bonnie spoke before Stefan could. "That's the vampire that's been hanging around me."

Stefan knew there was a vampire staying near her, he also knew she didn't like it. He had no idea why it would be stopping them as they approached her house.

The vampire was waiting at his window by the time he rolled it down.

"There's someone in her house."

Stefan looked over to the witch. "Should there be?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. The vampire could tell she was upset. "My dad shouldn't be home for hours."

"It's a woman," the vampire outside of the car said.

"I don't know who it would be," Bonnie said, a worried look on her face.

Stefan spoke into his phone which was still in his hand. "Damon, get over here – to Bonnie's house."

"Bring her here." Came the annoyed reply.

"Someone's in her house Damon. If it's related to what happened to Elena…."

"I get it. On my way." Stefan heard Damon say before he disconnected.

* * *

Not Needed

Elena heard the doorbell and was quickly up to answer it. By the time she made it to the front door, Jenna was opening it to Katherine and Sarah.

Jenna looked at Elena as she came to the door, relieved she would not make a mistake about the vampire's identity again.

"Did it work?" Elena asked Sarah, motioning for them to enter.

Sarah smiled and nodded. "It did."

Elena was relieved. "Thank you. Are you OK?"

Sarah nodded again. "It's not that hard. It tires me a little, but not for very long."

Elena noticed that Katherine had not entered. "Are you not coming in?"

"No. We need to start moving."

"Did you hear from the vampire that was following them?" The girl asked.

"No. We probably should have, but no. We can track him, though."

Elena nodded as the vampire spoke to Sarah. "Whatever happens, you'll stay with Elena?"

The witch nodded. "I promise."

"Keep your phones on, both of you. We'll call if we need anything."

Jenna finally spoke. "Why would you need them?"

The aunt's face showed that she was not happy about the situation.

Katherine responded dismissively. "We shouldn't."

She turned to leave, but then turned back, speaking to Jenna again. "There will be vampires very close to your house. Anyone who approaches it will be challenged. I hope you weren't expecting visitors."

Jenna shook her head, then turned to Elena.

"Sorry," Elena whispered to her aunt as the vampire closed the front door behind her. "We'll be upstairs if you need us."

"OK. Get some rest." The aunt responded, still obviously unhappy.

Elena started up the stairs followed by Sarah and, she noted with a sigh, Jeremy.

* * *

The Trust

He knew the delay would upset Stefan, but Damon didn't care. There were two vampires and a witch there. They should be able to handle whoever was in Bonnie's house until he joined them.

His priority was Elena. Though he planned to pursue her attackers while she slept, he was going to check on her before he left. After all, Stefan could be right, it could be related. They could be at both the witch's house and at Elena's house. He just had to be sure.

He was a little relieved as he parked nearby. There were four vampires in her yard, very close to the house. They knew him, which he knew was the reason only one approached him as he moved to enter Elena's room.

"I'm not staying." He said softly to the other vampire. It just nodded and returned to where it was before.

He could see Elena had Sarah and Jeremy with her. He really couldn't believe it, but he was starting to trust the blonde witch, or at least starting to trust her to protect Elena.

He was tempted to pause and listen to them before making himself known, but he didn't have time. Still, they were engrossed in their conversation enough that they did not notice him until he spoke.

"Three."

They gasped and looked at him questioningly.

"That's the number of dead people that would be here if I wasn't such a good guy." He looked at Elena. "Is no one watching your back when I'm not with you?"

"We expected some help from the vampires outside." Sarah retorted.

"Don't. You already know your kind can get through them."

"Damon," Elena interrupted. "did you want something?"

The vampire met her eyes. "A warmer greeting."

Elena nodded and spoke to the others. "Can you give us a few minutes?"

"Sure," Jeremy grinned. "Sarah can tour my room."

"I was there earlier." Sarah noted, though she was smiling a little herself as she rose to follow him.

"No one else this time, though" The brother said, entering the shared bathroom.

"Don't be afraid to zap him." Elena called before turning her attention back to the vampire.

"Are you all right, Damon?" Elena asked. Damon could tell that the concern on her face was genuine.

He nodded as he sat next to her on the bed and pulled her into a hug. "Yes. You?"

She pulled back enough to look into his eyes. "Yeah, but I didn't get hit by a spell. Sarah can help you. She helped some of Katherine's…"

"You know what I think about taking a witch's mojo. I'm fine, Elena. I'm worried about you."

"At least rest tonight," She said, leaning against him again.

"I'll rest." He said, thinking it wasn't a complete lie. He would rest, when it was done. "You rest."

"OK. You know I love you, right?"

"I know. I love you too." He hadn't meant it to sound like it was a good-bye, but it did. Maybe, she wondered. She pulled back to look into his eyes again.

"Damon, you are going take it easy tonight, right?"

"Yes. Just like you."

He watched her carefully as she nodded without flinching. Maybe she was telling the truth.

"Stay with the witch."

"Sarah." She corrected. She really wasn't sure why he would say something like that after everything he had said before. "Now you trust her?"

He held her eyes as he responded. "Now, I need her to be who you think she is."

"She is, Damon. I would trust you to her, I'm glad you trust me to her."

The vampire looked into the eyes he loved, pulled her close and kissed her. He could have stayed there forever, but witches and vampires were waiting. So, he left her to the witch and the baby brother.


	78. Witch's Brew

_We not only have witches, vampires and Elena, we still have Peachie X here doing Beta. I'm going to try to keep it that way..._

Witch's Brew

"What's she doing in there?" Bonnie asked Stefan. He could tell that her mood was changing as she spoke. She no longer seemed worried, though she was definitely still upset. He could also tell that she was still trying to ignore the other vampire – the one Katherine had assigned to her. The same one that had warned them of the intruder.

Stefan couldn't answer her question. He just looked at the other vampire, and was glad when it spoke.

"Nothing. It looks like she's just waiting. Maybe reading something."

"Reading?" The witch was definitely getting mad. "In my house, reading my stuff like she lives there?

Bonnie was starting to glare as she turned to Stefan again.

"We should wait for Damon." Stefan advised.

Bonnie shook her head, having made the decision. "He's not going into my house whenever he gets here and she's not spending another minute in my house. Are you coming with me?"

He sighed and nodded, sure Elena would be upset if he let Bonnie go in alone under the circumstance.

As they approached the door he could see the lights were on inside, though they could not see past the drapes.

"Careful." the vampire whispered to the witch as she opened the door. "We're not sure who's in there."

"We are sure she doesn't belong." the witch replied, deliberately ignoring his advice.

Bonnie opened the door quickly and loudly. When she entered, she could see a woman she didn't know sitting in a chair, reading a book.

Bonnie didn't really notice what the book was until the woman laid it on a table next to the chair. It upset her even more when she realized what the intruder had been reading, but she focused on the woman.

The witch noticed the intruder didn't really respond to her angry entry. She stood up casually, as if greeting a friend.

"Who are you?" Bonnie asked angrily.

"Heather."

She looked briefly at Stefan. It was obvious he didn't know the woman.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me? Is that supposed to let you invade my home?"

"And you are Bonnie Bennett." Heather still spoke calmly, pulling some of her black hair behind her ear

"Exactly how do you know me?" Bonnie challenged. She had not approached too closely, and was glad Stefan was next to her.

"I don't. I do know about you and about what you've been doing."

"What I've been doing?" Her enigmatic responses were maddening to the witch. Bonnie glanced at Stefan again, he just stared ahead, no help at all.

"We need to talk," Heather said as the witch met her eyes again.

"You enter my house uninvited, read my journal and expect me to talk to you?"

Despite Bonnie's anger, Heather remained calm. "I was waiting for you, I did research, and yes, now I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

Until then, Heather's eyes had been fixed on Bonnie. Now she looked at Stefan briefly, then back at to the witch.

The witch understood what she wanted. "He stays."

The intruder's expression did not change, though she hesitated, apparently considering the demand, finally she nodded. "We need to talk about Elena Gilbert."

Bonnie could feel a glare coming. "What about her? Are you involved with whoever is after her?"

The witch's anger did not faze the intruder. "There are things you don't know about her, Bonnie Bennett."

"I know she's my friend. I know anyone who tries to hurt her has to go through me."

"I understand that. What I don't understand is, why? She has caused you nothing but pain…"

Bonnie interrupted the intruder, glare intact. "She saved me."

"Saved you? She stopped you from killing a vampire that deserved to die. Then she imprisoned you in your own home until the vampires prepared a trap for you."

"Just because you read my journal doesn't mean you know anything. You don't know her and you don't know me. She saved me and I've saved her. Who the hell do you think you are?"

At first it seemed to Bonnie that her challenge was being ignored, then she understood. "You are one of us Bonnie. You are proud of your heritage – that much I learned. Your ancestors have fought vampires for generations. You need to know that you do not have live like this – bound to Elena Gilbert and her vampires."

"So you're a witch. So what? Elena protects the town, the same as me and my ancestors. I should throw you out now."

"You're not strong enough." Heather said, losing her composure.

Bonnie continued to glare at her. "You've been here long enough to know that mine is not the only power in this house."

Heather didn't directly respond, but did force her face to return to normal before speaking.

"I know it's hard. You think she protects your town, but your journal reveals the truth about her. She persuaded you to open a tomb which filled your town with vampires, and it cost you your grandmother."

"It was Damon's fault. All of it!" Bonnie yelled. The other witch hesitated, seemingly to let her finish then spoke calmly again.

"Did you serve Damon? Did your grandmother?"

"No. Of course not. I was helping Ele…" Bonnie cut herself off.

Stefan finally spoke, turning to Bonnie. "You're not listening to her, are you?"

Bonnie ignored him, her glare had softened to a stare. It was Heather who answered the vampire.

"She has heard no lies – not from me. But from by cousin..."

"Do you mean Sarah?" Bonnie asked. "She's protects Elena, same as me."

"Does she? Odd. I had heard that she was no longer in the service of vampires, no longer part of the family. Perhaps I was wrong."

"I don't work for vampires!" Bonnie yelled back. "She…we protect Elena from vampires."

"Elena's vampires have cost you everything Bonnie. You're new, so I understand your confusion. You think you owe her a life-debt, but she has done nothing for you, though she has cost you a great deal."

"How would you know what she's cost me? You don't know her or me."

"Your journal reveals both Bonnie. You wrote things as you saw them."

There was another space of silence that Stefan started to speak into. "Bonnie…"

"No, Stefan." She said with a raised finger.

Heather took a couple of steps towards Bonnie, then stopped. She was still several feet away. "Stefan. Another name from your journal. Vampires, even in your home."

Bonnie closed her eyes, trying to process the information, trying to find a way to dispute it. "I don't know who you are. I don't know why you're here."

"I'm here to show you the truth, Bonnie." Heather replied. "But your journal shows me that you already know it."

Bonnie looked at her again, but did not speak before the other witch spoke.

"Sarah was young and confused. She learned everything from us. We helped her develop her power, protected her, but she turned her back to us. I don't know her anymore. I don't know if you can trust her to do what she says, but you should break your tie with Elena Gilbert. You don't know who she is. You don't know why she is being sought. You don't understand that some were born to die."

Bonnie's eyes were closed again when Stefan spoke to Heather. "You need to leave."

Heather laughed. "Vampire, do you know what you're doing?"

"Don't," Bonnie said, quickly opening her eyes and looking at Heather. "He's right. You need to leave. I need to think about this."

"Bonnie." Stefan began again.

"No, Stefan." She interrupted, then looking at Heather as she walked towards to door and opened it for the other witch. "Let me think. We can talk later. Please."

Heather hesitated briefly, but nodded and walked to the door, looking at Bonnie just before going through.

"We're not enemies, Bonnie. We needn't be on different sides. You're alone, we can help."

Bonnie nodded very slightly before the other witch walked through the door.

She was closing the door when she heard a loud growl, a scream, the tearing of fabric and a yelp of pain. She opened the door and quickly stepped through it.

She hesitated at the sight of Damon on the ground under the witch's spell. Stefan saw the other vampire walking carefully towards Heather. He moved towards the witch on the opposite side.

"Heather! Don't!" Bonnie finally yelled.

The other witch broke her spell and released Damon. She glanced at the vampires on either side of her before turning her glare towards Bonnie.

"Please." Bonnie implored. "Not here, not now."

Bonnie could see that the sleeve of the blouse of the other witch had been torn, a decorative button removed with some of the fabric. Heather's voice was icy as she spoke.

"Choose your friends carefully, Bonnie Bennett, and you enemies even more so." She walked away without waiting for a response.

Stefan was immediately next to Damon, looking, but not touching. He pulled his phone out as he spoke to Bonnie. "She should be followed."

Bonnie shook her head as he pushed the buttons.

She could see that he was listening before he spoke. "I'm sorry, Elena but it's Damon. He got zapped by a witch again."

* * *

Interrupted Spell

"Is this enough blood?" Elena asked Sarah. The witch had her hand, squeezing it, trying to get more blood to come from the palm that had been cut.

The water was running as they stood next to the sink in the shared bathroom. Jeremy watched with curiosity.

"I'm not…" the witch began before being interrupted by the ring of Elena's phone.

Elena grimaced as she pulled the phone out of her pocket with her free hand. The cut had hurt enough, the witch's squeezing was making it worse.

She looked annoyed as she glanced at the screen and pushed the button to answer.

"Not now Stefan. I'm trying to rest."

The abrupt change in her face as she pulled her hand back from Sarah startled both her brother and the witch.

"I'll be right there. Is he at the boarding house?" she asked as she grabbed a nearby washcloth and wrapped it around her hand.

"No. Bonnie's house." Stefan's voice replied.

"What's he doing there? He was supposed to go home."

"I asked him to help when we found someone in Bonnie's house. Just get here."

Stefan had been as short with her as she was with him. Elena didn't care. She put the phone into her pocket and grabbed Sarah's arm, pulling her along. "We need to go, Damon's hurt. Clean this up Jer, we'll do it again when we get back."

* * *

The Dynamics

Stefan was angry – at Elena, who still treated him like dirt, and at Bonnie, who was back in the house not having given him a clue of her mood. He had no idea what she was thinking, if she had believed the other witch or if she was still on Elena's side.

"Help is coming." he told his brother. Damon was sitting up, his eyes closed, obviously in pain. He was surprised when his brother spoke.

"Take this." It was a whisper, really. "Don't let Elena know."

Damon's hand moved to where Stefan could see it. It had a closed fist. When he opened his palm underneath Damon's hand, a piece of cloth with a button fell into it.

Stefan looked at his brother. "What is it?"

"From the witch. Don't let Elena know we will follow her."

"Damon!" Elena's voice was clear as she and Sarah ran to his side.

She ignored Stefan. He let her. He watched in silence as the blonde witch told Elena to give her room, placed her hands on Damon's shoulder, and began speaking under her breath.

His emotions were mixed as he watched the girl he loved fretting over his brother, clueless about what her best friend had heard, about how the dynamics around her might be changing.


	79. The Lies

_Me-writer, Peachie X-Beta, you-lucky reader..._

Vampire Mafia Boss 

Elena wanted to talk to Damon alone for a little while, but the others followed her as she pulled him away. She was not happy when she looked at Damon again and saw he was just glaring at Sarah.

"Don't think this changes anything." It was more growl than statement.

"Damon!" Elena cried, her relief at his recovery changing into annoyance.

The witch stared back at Damon. "It changed you being immobilized and writhing in pain." She moved to stand next to Elena muttering "I could change it back…"

"No!" Elena whispered to Sarah as the witch stood next to her on the side opposite of Damon.

The vampire looked back to the human. "We need to get you home."

His brother stood near Damon. "She should talk to Bonnie,"

"She's going home," Damon countered, turning his attention to the other vampire.

"We can't leave it like this. She needs to know." Elena's ex said.

"She needs to be where it's safe. She's going home." Damon was still glaring at Stefan, but took hold of Elena's arm a little tighter that she liked.

"She is right here." Elena interrupted, giving Damon a shove that startled him enough that he dropped his hand. "You don't get to decide. Either of you."

When she moved her hand to point at them she realized she still held the washcloth with her blood. She turned her back to both of them, facing Sarah, and passed her the cloth. She had to use some saliva to clean her palm before she was ready to turn back to them.

But she didn't turn to them. She just looked at Bonnie's door, thinking.

"Do you know a Heather?" Damon had to look around Elena as he spoke to Sarah.

Elena turned to look at the witch. Sarah hesitated, but nodded. "Cousin. Little older than me, jet-black hair." She laughed to herself as she moved her eyes from Damon to Elena. "I used to be envious of it. I thought it suited witches – I even tried to dye my hair that color once."

Damon turned to his brother. "Black hair, blah blah. Do you see? She could come back. We need to get Elena out of here."

Stefan's eyes remained fixed on Damon as he argued "We need to know what Bonnie is thinking, what she will do."

"Why do you ask about Heather." the witch asked Damon, interrupting their argument.

Damon's glare remained on Stefan as he answered her. "She was here – badmouthing Elena to Bonnie."

"Did you even hear it all?" Stefan challenged.

"I heard enough." Damon spat.

"What did she say?" Elena asked, turning to him, grabbing his arm to try draw his eyes from Stefan to her.

"You couldn't come into Bonnie's house," Stefan told his brother, "or you would have taken a bite out of her."

"I tried to take a bite out of her." Damon growled.

"Damon. What did she say?" Elena repeated, pulling on his arm again.

They stopped arguing, though still glared at each other. She waited for one of them to answer her, then turned to Stefan.

"He can go in, Stefan. Bonnie invited him once."

Stefan's glare disappeared as his eyes moved to Elena, then back to Damon. "You could go in but you didn't?"

Damon wasn't about to explain himself to Stefan, and he was interrupted by another tug on his arm. "What did she say, Damon?"

When neither spoke, she started to walk towards the door. "Bonnie will tell me."

Damon was immediately in front of her. "No, Elena. I'll tell you – while I take you home."

She thought she saw real concern on his face, but wasn't convinced. "Right now I'm not so sure that you will tell me."

Damon took her face between his hands gently and pulled her eyes back to his. He spoke softly as if just to her. "Let me take you home. You need to be away from here. She might come back."

"What did Heather want?" Sarah asked moving next to Elena again.

Damon turned to the witch his face returning to a hard look. "She talked about you. She said she doesn't trust you."

"She said she doesn't know Sarah anymore, Damon." Stefan corrected.

"It's the same thing." Damon interrupted sharply, still looking at Sarah. "She doesn't trust you, which means I have to trust you."

Sarah had gotten used to the glares of Elena's vampires, and didn't flinch. "Trust me with what?" She asked calmly.

Damon didn't answer the question directly. "She talked about Elena, too – said she didn't deserve to live."

This startled Sarah who broke eye contact with him to look at Elena's reaction.

It startled Elena as well. She turned to Stefan. "St...Stefan?" She asked, her voice breaking.

Stefan just looked sad as he nodded.

The human turned back to the witch, who was biting her lip.

"I don't know, but I think we need to get you to where we have more help."

Elena was really speaking to herself as she closed her eyes and shook her head. "Two vampires and two witches aren't enough?"

"One witch," Damon said flatly.

"We don't know that." Stefan argued.

"Don't we?" The brothers were glaring at each other again.

"She saved you just a few minutes ago." Stefan contended.

"Stop." Elena said it so softly Sarah barely heard her, but the vampires responded – both just looked at Elena.

The girl looked at the blonde witch. "Heather?"

Sarah shook her head slightly and spoke as softly as Elena. "I don't know why she would be here."

"She was here to convince Bonnie that you're some kind of evil vampire mafia boss, and I think it worked." Damon told Elena in a strained voice.

Elena looked at him briefly, then back to Sarah. "She wasn't the witch that tried to get to me earlier?"

"No. I didn't recognize that one, and she was too old anyway."

Elena released a breath and nodded. "I'll go home. Damon can drive me. Will you drive my car there Sarah?"

"OK," the witch replied with a whisper, accepting the keys Elena had pulled out of her pocket.

"What about Bonnie, Elena?" Stefan asked as his ex turned and started walking towards the cars. "We need to talk to her, see what she thinks."

Elena felt very tired when she turned to him. "One of Katherine's vampires is here, right? Will you talk to her, keep her safe? Then have her call me when she's willing to talk to me?"

Stefan didn't argue as she walked away this time. Instead he found the other vampire with his eyes before going to Bonnie's doorstep.

* * *

In?

It was pretty late for him to be at the school, but Isobel tried there first. She found his car in the school parking lot, and was ready to turn to enter the school when she heard his approach.

Alaric wasn't paying enough attention to see her before he reached his car.

"There's hostile vampires around, Rick." Isobel's voice was mildly icy. "You should be more careful."

"Do you mean you?" He asked, trying to hide that he was startled. "Or your friends."

Her tone changed slightly, but not much – still at least distant. "Not my friends, not Elena's either. We're going after them. You in?"

"Will Elena be there?"

"Not the plan." Isobel smirked. "You will be surrounded by Vampires."

"Like usual." The teacher muttered.

"That a yes?" Isobel asked sweetly. "I promise you can take out a few."

Alaric glared and nodded as he opened his trunk and pulled out the bag with his supplies. "Do I have to know who's who this time?"

"We'll tell you. Got anything in there for witches?"

Alaric gave a questioning look in response to his ex-wife.

* * *

Not Making Him Do It as Well...

"You look tired." Damon offered as they drove to her home.

Elena nodded. She was tired, but she intended to get the full truth out of him. "What else did Heather say?"

"Stefan's right. I didn't hear it all, but she did say you were on the side of vampires and that you were born to die."

The words made Elena cringe, but she tried to hide it as she nodded. "He's right about you going in if you heard that. Why didn't you?"

Damon's eyes remained on the road as he responded. "Two witches were in there but you weren't. I'm not that big a fool. If you had been in there, I'd have tried to just carry you away."

"I wasn't outside either, Damon, but you still attacked the witch."

"She was alone and I had surprise on my side." Damon sighed as he drove. " Not that it helped."

"Vampires aren't that good one on one against witches." Elena noted, closing her eyes and leaning back against the seat.

"I think I could take Bonnie." Damon smirked. "I've gotten to her neck more than once."

"Just don't." Elena sighed, not even bothering to look at him this time. She could tell that things were getting worse. She felt an even more urgent need to move, to get this over with.

"No promises, Elena, not when it's you."

She barely heard him, so it took a minute to respond. "She's my best friend, Damon."

They had stopped in front of Elena's house now.

"May she is, maybe she was. Either way, she stays away from you."

She wasn't going to argue with him this time. She just looked at him briefly before saying, "I'm going to my room to rest."

She let Damon hug her and kiss her cheek before she left the car without asking him where he was going, though she suspected the worst. It didn't matter, not tonight. She was already lying – she wasn't going to make him do it as well.

* * *

The Adjustment

Katherine was mildly surprised when the vampire following Elena's attacker suddenly appeared in front of her.

"No farther – it's not safe."

She trusted him enough that she stopped. The vampires with her stopped as well.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Witches and vampires, a few hundred yards away." The other vampire pointed. "This is as close as we can safely be."

She followed his pointing hand only briefly before turning back to his eyes. "Do we know the vampires?"

"No. I don't at least."

Katherine was obviously thinking as she asked "How many?"

"I don't know that, either. They come and go."

Katherine nodded as he spoke again. "They're adjusting to something. They were going out alone, or maybe a witch with a vampire. Now it's always in pairs."

"Always one of each?"

"No. Always two of each. They know she has witches with her now."

Katherine nodded, pulling out her phone.

* * *

Can't Watch It Go Down

Jeremy stood behind the blonde witch as he watched her and his sister. He had to remind himself that the girl just in front of him, who was a little smaller than his sister, wasn't what she appeared. She was a powerful witch who, if she wanted, could hurt him, but who instead had helped him.

The brother watched as the witch looked at Elena's expression. She held the knife in one hand, the human's uncut hand, palm up, in the other.

Sarah was speaking very softly. "It wasn't enough last time Elena. I don't know it'll be enough this time. I can't keep cutting you."

Elena looked tired and desperate. "You have to. Please, we have to find them. I'm sure Damon's going after them, we have to get there first."

"I'm not an expert at this." Sarah argued.

Elena could tell the witch was looking at the palm she had cut before. The girl closed it and moved it behind her back.

The witch gritted her teeth and moved the blade close to the skin of Elena's palm. Still she hesitated.

"Just do it," Elena said, grimacing herself as she waited for the cut.

They were interrupted as Jenna opened the door from Elena's room. "Do not cut her!"

Elena pulled her hand away from Sarah, actually causing the palm to get a small slice as the witch pulled the knife away.

The niece closed her fist and put it behind her with the other as she turned to face Jenna. Her aunt was not alone, but Jenna's angry words kept Elena's eyes on her.

"I come up here and you're gone – without telling me you were leaving. I don't know you're back until I hear her enter." Jenna nodded towards Isobel, angry eyes remaining fixed on her niece. "You said you wouldn't keep anything from me!"

Elena wasn't sure, but thought she might have made a soft noise as her eyes moved back and forth between her mother and her aunt. She had no idea what to say to either.

"As much as I'd like to watch this go down, we need to move," Isobel said. "Now. We think they're coming for you again."

Elena looked at Jenna's upset expression as Sarah spoke from behind them. "We stopped them last time."

Isobel's response was urgent. "Now they know you're here. Now they'll be ready to take you out as well."

"Why? Why again?" Jenna asked in frustration as Elena pushed past her to follow Isobel.

"We're going to Katherine, right?" Elena asked, her fists still balled as Jenna finally followed Jeremy and Sarah out of the bathroom.

Isobel didn't turn back as she replied. "Not to Katherine, not to the Bennett house, not to the Salvatore house. There's more than one group of them. If they find you, they'll all come to you. We're leaving town."


	80. Humans, Happiness and Chats

_The very kind, very nice, very helpful Peachie X was Beta on this chapter (and so much more...)_

Not Caring, but Wondering

Damon arrived at the Bennett house barely noticing he had driven to get there. He had realized, sometime between dropping Elena off at her home and arriving here, that his original plan to have Bonnie use the button he ripped off of Heather for a locator spell wouldn't work now. Elena's friend could no longer be trusted.

He entered the yard looking for Stefan, hoping he would be outside, knowing they would have to find another way to track the witch, when he found himself suddenly caught up in a fight.

The vampire that Katherine had assigned to stay with Bonnie ran into the yard, chased by two others. Damon was tackled by one of them and slammed into Bonnie's front door.

He recovered quickly, not knowing who his opponent was, but not caring – though he did wonder where his brother was.

* * *

Getting Along

They were in Jenna's car, but Elena had insisted on driving. Sarah was next to her, Isobel and another vampire in the back seat. They were followed by two other cars, one with Jenna, Jeremy and two other vampires, the other was full of vampires. Marcus was in the car with Jenna and Jeremy. Jenna remembered him and remembered that he had done all he could to protect her and Elena. It was the only reason she had agreed to be separated from her niece.

"Human?" Sarah asked into her phone. She was speaking to Natalie, who had finally seen the picture and returned her call. "But still a relative?"

Elena couldn't stand just hearing just one side of the conversation. "Can you put her on speaker?"

The witch pushed the button and held the phone closer to Elena.

"Yes," Natalie replied. "sometimes humans can be used to enter homes with witches when vampires can't. They're usually muscle."

"Makes sense, I guess." the blonde witch agreed.

Isobel spoke from the back seat. "A vampire would have heard Damon's approach and been able to react. He had to be a witch or human."

"Sarah, you need to be careful if our family is involved." The older witch said. "Some of the witches are really powerful."

"I know Mom. Heather is here."

"Heather." Natalie repeated and hesitated as she recalled the person her daughter was referring to. "She's going against you?"

"No Mom, but she talked to Bonnie, tried to convince her that she shouldn't protect Elena."

Natalie hesitated before asking, "Is Bonnie alright? What happened?"

"I don't know. Damon said we should leave and we did. Now we're leaving town. Are there vampires with you?"

"In our yard – easily seen." Sarah heard her mother sigh. "This is not the way it's supposed to be."

"Sorry." Elena said.

"I know, Mom," The blonde witch added. "but until we're sure our cousins will leave you alone, I think we need it."

"Our house is protected, you know that. It's you I'm worried about."

"I'll be fine. We have a lot of vampires with us as well."

"Do you want me to go there?" Natalie offered hesitantly.

"No," Sarah said quickly, not wanting to bring her mother into it. "I'll call if I need anything else."

Sarah pulled the phone to her ear, removed the speaker and listened before disconnecting without speaking again.

"I'm so sorry about this." Elena told the witch as she put the phone away.

"It's my family," Sarah replied. "I'm sorry they got involved."

"I feel better knowing that you're with us." Elena told the blonde witch, smiling weakly.

"I don't." Isobel said from behind her daughter. "Those who have switched sides can easily switch back."

Sarah turned back to glare at the vampire. "We didn't switch sides. We left a bad situation."

Elena was glaring as well as she looked into the mirror at her mother's reflection. "Can't you get along with anyone? You fight with Damon and Bonnie. Please be nice to someone!"

Isobel shook her head and stared back into the mirror, hard expression still on her face. "Not when it's like this, Elena. Not when it's about you."

* * *

Now or Never

Stefan had managed to talk his way back into Bonnie's house, though he could tell she wasn't really happy about it.

"What do you want?" The witch asked him as she closed the door behind him. She didn't let him farther into the house.

He wasn't sure how to approach her or how to figure out what she was thinking, if she would continue to help. He decided to ask the favor Damon had hinted at. He opened his closed hand and showed her the button.

"We'd like to follow her – Heather. Would you do a spell to find her?"

Bonnie stared at him with a hard expression. "Follow her and what? See if she'll kill Damon?"

Stefan tried to sound reasonable. "Bonnie, they're after Elena. You know we can't let them find her."

Bonnie closed her eyes and pulled her hand up to her head like she had a headache. "I don't know that. I know they don't have her and I know that you'll get yourself killed if you try to go against them."

"We'll be careful, Bonnie." The vampire's eyes were pleading. "You can come with us, help us."

Bonnie glared at him again. "I'm not sure you would want me with you."

"We would," Stefan asserted, trying to sound like he believed it himself. "I trust you, just like Elena trusts you."

"Not the best time to bring her up."

Stefan sighed. He knew he was losing. "You can't believe everything you hear, Bonnie. You know Elena."

"I know Heather didn't lie. Elena did what she said – just like I wrote."

Stefan's face did harden then. "Yeah? Well she left something out, Bonnie. You know that if Damon had died, you would be dead now. Elena kept that from happening, and it cost her a lot."

The witch was still glaring at Stefan when they heard something hit the front door behind the vampire. He turned his attention from the witch and opened the door. Damon and Katherine's vampire were fighting with another two vampires.

Stefan quickly went through the door to help his brother. He and Damon combined were able to take out Damon's attacker. Then they moved to destroy the other hostile vampire.

Katherine's vampire spoke quickly then. "Two vampires, two witches. The vampires chased me - much faster than the witches. The witches are coming and could be here anytime."

They all moved quickly to the door, which was open, Bonnie standing just inside the house as she watched them. Stefan stood in front of Bonnie and held an arm out to keep his brother from entering.

"We need to come inside."

Bonnie glared at him. "I'm not so sure."

"Vampires and witches were sent to your house, Bonnie. You know why. You need to decide if you want to face them alone."

Bonnie's eyes were closed, she was thinking. She opened them to Damon's voice.

"Let her be in there alone with the witches if she wants." Damon said to his brother, though glaring at Bonnie. "We can burn them all at the same.."

Stefan interrupted his brother. "They're here Bonnie. Now or never."

The witch shook her head and continued to scowl, but whispered. "Come in, all of you."

The vampires entered and closed the door behind them. Within seconds, the doorbell rang.

"Bonnie Bennett?" It was a woman's voice.

* * *

Never Happy

"She might need Sarah," Elena argued. "We can't get too far away."

Elena was outside of town, but very close. She had stopped to argue with her mother.

Isobel glared at her daughter. "You know Katherine wants you as far away as possible."

"I know what she told me. Keep my phone on, keep our phones on because she might need us."

"Things have changed. The safest place for you both is as far away as possible. They don't know where you are."

Elena shook her head forcefully "The safest place for her is where Sarah can reach her if needed. Reach all of you. I'm not going any farther."

"Your family is behind us." Isobel's tone was getting icy now.

Elena didn't flinch. "So take them farther out of town. Sarah and I are staying."

"You would risk the witch as well as your family?"

Elena knew this wasn't helping. She tried to control her voice, if not her expression. "You won't let anything get to us. I know that."

"Katherine isn't going to be happy…"

"Is she ever happy with me?" Elena interrupted, losing control of her voice again.

Isobel actually seemed to calm down a little. She sighed. "You've always lived before. We can't just sit here, we need to keep moving."

Elena knew she was right. She turned her face to the road ahead. "Yeah." She nodded as she started moving, followed by the others, though she had no idea where she was going.

* * *

Catching and Chatting

Alaric wasn't happy when Isobel left him with an unknown vampire. She had left with little explanation, saying something about Elena and Katherine. He didn't really understand her words, but assumed he was being driven to Katherine, as he sat next to a vampire, bag on his lap.

He did have his hand in the bag, holding a vervain dart, just in case. He was nervous, never having been with other vampires without Isobel or Katherine with him.

He was glad when they were out of the car, on foot, him holding a dart in one hand, bag in the other. He was relieved when he saw Katherine standing, her back to him.

She didn't turn around as she spoke. "Welcome, Mr. Saltzman. Thank you for coming."

He moved to stand next to her, relieved again when no one tried to stop him.

"Yeah. Now what?"

Katherine didn't turn to him. She spoke softly, as if just thinking out loud.

"Now we see if we can catch one of them and have a chat."


	81. The Code and the Call

_In brightest day, in darkest night, Peachie X works her Beta magic on this..._

The Role and the Ring

Alaric walked next to Katherine. He was uncomfortable with the role she had talked him into playing with her. The role of bait. He wasn't really comfortable being alone with Katherine, either. He had done it before, left someplace with Isobel, and ended up alone with Katherine. She had always seemed fine around him, but he knew she had a bad side – he had seen that before as well.

If he understood properly, they were walking on a path where the hostile vampires and witches had been seen. The path led to a building that Katherine thought might be some kind of meeting place or headquarters, but they walked away from the building. They were hoping to be confronted far enough away from it that they would not attract the attention of whoever was inside.

Alaric had been killed by vampires and watched Elena as she was killed by a witch. Though they both had recovered, he remembered the drama and the pain involved. He really did not want a repeat of those events, and he couldn't help wondering if it was such a good idea to keep testing the ring. Maybe it had a limit of some kind.

He did know that, bait or not, he was as safe now as he would be anywhere anytime. With Katherine next to him and her vampires scattered in various hiding places nearby, it was very unlikely that any of the two witches and two vampires likely to spring the trap they were setting would get to him. Well, he knew it intellectually. He was still nervous. Even his bag of supplies was with one of the hiding vampires. He was virtually unarmed, just a couple of vervain darts hidden in his jacket.

His eyes were getting used to the darkness. They seemed to be in a park, though he was not sure where. A few nearby street lights provided some light, along with a fairly bright moon.

When he was this close to Katherine, paying this much attention to her, he was again amazed that she and Elena were essentially twins. He thought that if he had not known it was Katherine, he wouldn't be sure who it was.

"Everything's in place." Katherine said to him, speaking very softly. "We could be approached or attacked anytime."

Alaric only nodded, knowing his heartbeat would give away his nervousness to her. He didn't look at her.

"I don't like it here," the vampire told him in a normal voice. "I'm not sure it will help."

Her voice startled him. She had barely spoken to him, and when she had it had been very softly. It took a few seconds, and a jab from her elbow, for him to remember that the plan required them to be walking and talking.

"You asked me to bring you here." He said. "Here you are."

"Do you really think they'll let me live?" She asked in a small, hesitant voice that he barely heard.

"We have to ask. They'd find you eventually." He was having trouble keeping his own voice calm.

"We don't know that." This was almost a whisper. Then she hesitated, causing him to stop and look over to her. He thought she was doing good job looking nervous. While he looked at her, she spoke again. "Are we going the right way?"

He felt someone knock him down before he saw the vampires. Two vampires were there, seemingly coming out of nowhere, grabbing Katherine and holding her on both sides. It looked like she was trying to pull away from them.

One pulled Katherine's face, forcing her to look at him. "She looks like the picture."

The other was glaring at Alaric, though continuing to hold Katherine. "She's supposed to be with a witch. Is this a witch?"

"Not a very good one if he let us get this close without a spell."

"Either way, we don't need him." the vampire said, releasing Katherine, pulling Alaric to his feet and holding him with neck exposed.

"Wait!" came a voice from behind – a man's voice.

The vampire glared, but stopped. The man ignored Alaric when he arrived. He just looked at Katherine.

"She does look like the picture," a woman said from behind him. She arrived just after the man and shone a flashlight on Katherine's face.

"Are you Elena Gilbert?" She asked.

Katherine nodded, trying to look afraid. All eyes were on her, so Alaric reached into his jacket with the arm that was not being held, and removed one of the darts.

"I'll tell them we have her." the woman said, reaching into her pocket.

"As soon as anyone reaches for a phone, we move." Katherine had said. Alaric plunged the dart into the vampire holding him. Before it hit the ground, before the woman had her cell phone out of her pocket, her arms were being held on both sides by Vampires. The vampire holding Katherine was dead, the man's neck had been snapped.

As the woman began to chant, one of the vampires holding her collapsed.

Katherine bit the woman. The bite was quick, too short to be fatal, but it had stopped the chant. Then she spoke to Alaric.

"Use your ring!"

The teacher was confused, and hesitated.

"Put your ring on her!" Katherine yelled at him, repeating the message. "She won't stay down. We need to take her out, but for her to come back."

He understood her now. He began to pull his ring off, but hesitated, thinking it might not be the best idea when surrounded by vampires.

He was looking at the ring on his hand, the fingers on his other hand still holding it, when Katherine used her hand to pull his head up. He found himself looking into her eyes.

"Do it for Elena." The vampire said her eyes so soft, so earnest, he thought they could belong to her doppelganger. "I promise no one will get near you."

Alaric muttered something about 'vampire promises' as he pulled the ring off his finger and placed it on the thumb of the woman. As soon as it was in place, Katherine snapped her neck.

"Thank you," She whispered to Alaric in the same tone she had used to get him to remove his ring. Her tone changed to forceful as she spoke quickly to the nearby vampires. "Get the bodies out of sight. Leave the dart in place and bring the vampire." Then speaking to one in particular, she said "Bring the witch." She spoke to another "Bring him." She said, pointing at the vampire that had collapsed at the witches spell.

Alaric had to run as fast as he could to keep up as she moved to where they had been deemed safe from the passing vampires and witches and from whoever was in the building.

* * *

The Code and the Math

"We have to talk to them. They won't go away." Bonnie was glaring at Stefan. She was becoming increasingly annoyed at Stefan. She blamed him for talking her into letting Damon and the other vampire into her house.

"What they want isn't here, Bonnie," Stefan replied. "when they figure that out…"

"You've got to be kidding, right?" Damon interrupted. "You're really going to tell them she's not here?"

Stefan and Bonnie both looked at him, Bonnie still glaring. Stefan looked uncertain.

"If it'll get them away…" Stefan began, but stopped when Damon shook his head.

"Wherever she is, she's not here," the older brother said. "As long as they're here, they're not where she is."

Bonnie understood and continued to glare at Damon. "You expect me to lie? To tell them she's here?"

"What, there's some kind of witch's code against that?" Damon smirked back.

Bonnie just glared at him. The silence between them allowed the noise from the door to be heard clearly by all.

Stefan spoke first, turning to his brother. "We can't ask her to do that."

Damon kept his eyes fixed on the witch. "She knows she's only alive because of Elena, and she knows the promises she's made to Elena."

Bonnie closed her eyes and shook her head. "I won't lie."

"Then stay silent."

Bonnie glared at him again. Stefan spoke as she finally nodded in reply. "What are we going to do, wait them out? They'll come in."

"The house is protected." Damon said, finally pulling his eyes from the witch to look at his brother.

"Yeah," Stefan agreed, "against vampires."

Damon turned back to look at Bonnie again. "I betting it's more than that. Some kind of ancestral protection against anything hostile to the family." He turned and began to walk to the door.

"Damon!" Stefan called after him. "What are you going to do?"

Damon didn't answer. He latched the chain at the top of the door into place, wondering to himself why he was bothering, and opened the door as far as the chain permitted.

"Yes?" He asked sarcastically, looking into Heather's glaring eyes.

"Where's Bonnie?"

"Kind of busy right now."

Heather glared and looked at another woman standing next to her before turning her attention back to Damon.

"What are you doing here?" She asked angrily.

"Me? I heard you want Elena. If you want her, you have to go through me. You want to know why I'm here? Do the math."

"More will come." Then she tried to yell over his shoulder. "Don't do this Bonnie Bennett!"

"More will come!" She repeated as Damon closed the door, locked it, and turned to face his brother.

"Wherever she is, she's safe as long as we can keep them here." He said softly, the knocking on the door and calls for Bonnie having resumed.

"As long as she doesn't come looking for you." Stefan said, turning away from his brother, walking towards Bonnie, who had moved to sit at the kitchen table, burying her head into her hands .

* * *

The Knife and the Call

"Just take us there!" Elena yelled back at Isobel.

She had stopped to argue with her mother again. It was, again, turning out to be futile.

"She doesn't want you there."

Elena rested her head on the steering wheel. "Why does she have to know?"

Isobel didn't respond. Sarah turned back to look at the vampire.

"It's getting late. Elena and I are both getting tired. We need to do something."

"You're not doing anything," The vampire told the blonde witch. "Katherine is handling it."

Elena's forehead still rested on the steering wheel. She was really thinking out loud as she spoke softly. "Sarah can find her."

Isobel glared. "No!" She said firmly.

Elena lifted her head a looking into the mirror, her eyes narrowed. "You or her. One of you is taking us to Katherine."

The witch glanced back at Isobel before leaning towards Elena and whispering "I don't have the knife."

"We don't need it," Elena replied, her eyes still on the mirror. "A vampire's fingernail will work just fine."

"Not happening, Elena." Isobel said forcefully, enunciating each word.

"Fine." Elena spat back, reaching over Sarah to open the glove compartment. "Jenna should have a screw driver or something."

Sarah felt a little sick as she began, "Elena…" before being interrupted by the vibration from her cell phone. Elena sat back up and looked at her as she pulled it out and looked at the screen.

The witch answered without telling the others who was calling. "Yes?"

Elena watched as her friend just listened for a few seconds before speaking into the phone again.

"On our way."

The witch turned back to look at Isobel. "Katherine needs me. She says you know where to take us."

The vampire shook her head, wondering why Katherine called the witch instead of her. It didn't really matter, she was tired of fighting with her daughter anyway.

"Fine." She said. "Go back into town."


	82. Bennett Witches and Proctor Witches

_Peachie X was Beta on this chapter (and believe me, that's not an easy job...)_

The Bennett Witch

"The house can keep them out, if I want it to."

Bonnie was annoyed at best, also angry and afraid. Vampires were inside her house, witches were outside. Worst of all, she had to explain to Stefan that Damon was right. Her house was protected by the power of her ancestors.

Stefan glanced over to his brother, who was leaning against a wall, smirking. He was obviously listening to their conversation, though looking at the screen of his phone.

"Maybe it will work." He said, his gaze returning to Bonnie, who sat across the table from him. "Maybe we can keep them here, away from Elena."

"I don't want them here, Stefan." The witch was glaring at him again.

"We don't care what you want." Damon sneered, putting his phone in his pocket again. He spoke to his brother. "She's with Isobel, going to Katherine."

"You're talking to Isobel?" Stefan asked not quite believing it.

"Best I've got. At least she tells me what's really going on."

"Like you told Elena what we're doing." Stefan grumbled. He started to turn back to Bonnie, then asked "Do you know where they're going?"

"Yes."

Stefan waited before letting his irritation show. "So where?"

Damon smirked. "You don't need to know. Your job is to keep them here."

"Your job, too." Stefan muttered as he turned to face Bonnie again.

"Nope. I'm going to her."

Stefan was about to turn back to his brother when he noticed the witch's expression. She was still glaring at him. "More vampires are outside now."

"And witches." The other vampire said. It surprised Bonnie and Stefan – he had barely spoken.

Bonnie buried her face into her arms which were folded, lying on the table. "What have I done?"

Damon was instantly next to her, reaching out as if to pull her head up. He stopped and growled at her instead. "You picked a side. The right side."

Bonnie raised her head to look at him briefly, glaring, then buried her face into her arms again.

"Leave her alone, Damon." Stefan said. "It's hard enough for her."

Damon glared at his brother. "It'll be harder for her if Elena's hurt because she refuses to help."

"She'll do what's right."

Bonnie lifted her head and looked at Stefan. Though the glare was gone, he wasn't sure what expression was in its place. "What's 'right', Stefan?"

She didn't wait for an answer. She left the table and approached the vampire Katherine had assigned to stay with her. He was near a window, but no longer looking through it.

"How many witches are out there?"

"Counting the ones on the doorstep, six. Or at least six who aren't vampires."

Bonnie nodded and turned to look at Stefan. She had lost control of the situation, and decided to take it back.

"I've got to let someone in."

"No! Keep them here but outside." Damon said, moving towards her. Stefan managed to catch his arm as he passed and stop him.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked the witch.

"They might try to come in, Stefan."

"But you said the house could keep them out."

"If I want it to, I think. But if Sarah's right, they're powerful. They might find a way in." She shook her head. "And I really don't know what I want, except I want to talk to one of them."

"They'll find out!" Damon growled, though he did not try to pull away from his brother.

"Yeah, but first I'll try to get some answers out of Heather."

Bonnie could see the fury on Damon's face as the name of the witch that had cast a spell on him was mentioned. She was speaking to Stefan when she said "I won't let them get to you. The house should be able to prevent that." Then she looked at Damon and added, "But maybe to you?"

"It might help." Stefan quickly said to Damon. "We may be able stall them easier if one is inside. Do you know why Isobel's taking Elena to Katherine?"

Damon's glare remained as he answered his brother. "Katherine wants the witch. She and Elena are sticking together."

Stefan nodded and turned back to Bonnie. "Do you really think she'll come in alone? She knows at least Damon is here."

"Was here. I'm leaving." Damon headed out of the room to find an exit.

Bonnie shook her head, "Maybe someone outside will get him."

Stefan thought about following Damon, but had come to think his plan was reasonable. He walked towards Bonnie. "Then let's get their attention. Are you still with us? Will you help keep them here?"

Bonnie headed to the door. "I still want to talk to one of them. I'll talk to Heather."

"But you'll stall, you'll let them think Elena's here? And do you really think she'll come in alone?"

"I'll convince her that witches are safe in here – which they are," she said as she walked to her front door.

* * *

The Proctor Witch

Elena was a little shocked at the sight Isobel had brought her to. A woman, obviously unconscious was tied to a tree in a sitting position, her arms wrapped behind the tree and tied behind her. A man, probably a vampire, was sprawled on the ground nearby. Another laid on the ground, moving slightly. A few more stood around. Elena was distracted enough as she took all of this in that she didn't see the vampire that spoke to her.

"Family outing?"

Elena's eyes moved to Katherine, obviously confused at the vampire's statement. Then Katherine spoke to Isobel.

"Human shields weren't part of the plan."

"She thinks they're safer with us." Isobel replied. Her irritation at everything which was happening continued to be seen in her demeanor and heard in her voice.

"She's dead." Sarah said. A shocked look could be seen on her face as she knelt next to the woman tied to the tree.

"Do you know her?" Katherine asked.

Elena moved to go to Sarah, but was held back by Katherine.

Sarah stood, and faced the vampire, sick look on her face. "No. What did you do to her?"

"Bit her," the vampire said to the witch, then turning to Elena, she added "vervain." and made a face. She turned back to Sarah "Bit her and snapped her neck."

Sarah turned to the human girl. "Elena..."

Katherine was next to the witch before she could say any more, taking her arm and pulling her to the vampires Elena had seen earlier. "We need your help over here."

As she led the witch, Katherine spoke to Marcus, nodding her head to where Alaric stood with a few others, "Take them all."

Elena tried to watch Sarah as Isobel pulled her to where Alaric was watching. Marcus was leading her aunt and brother to the same place.

Alaric wasn't sure what to do when both Isobel and Jenna approached him. He managed to stand between Elena and Jeremy, and concentrated on Elena.

"You're OK?" he asked.

Elena nodded, still watching Sarah as she healed another vampire. "It looks like you've been busy."

"Yep. At least I didn't die – yet." He held his hands up so Elena could see that the ring was gone.

"Where is it?" The girl asked.

"Tied to a tree." Alaric pointed. "Katherine thought it was the easiest way to subdue the witch."

Isobel had managed to squeeze between Alaric and Jeremy by now. "You're giving that up too easily." She said, her tone cool.

"Yeah." He responded, but kept his focus on Elena. "We're hoping she knows more than the vampire we caught, or at least that she'll say more."

"The one Sarah's with?"

"No." He pointed at the one sprawled on the ground. "The one they…uh, talked to… is dead now – which doesn't bother me since he was about to bite me."

"I had the ring on me then." He quickly added when he heard a couple of audible intakes of breath.

Elena closed her eyes and took another couple of deep breaths. She was thinking it was no better here than anywhere else – people, witches and vampires still at risk because of her.

She opened her eyes to Katherine's stern voice. "I don't want you or your family any closer to this. Stay here."

The girl wasn't sure how to respond, but didn't have to. Katherine spoke to Isobel now.

"We got a couple of phones. One of them has texts messages about going to the Bennett house. No one has passed by here for some time. We're going to see what's inside the building."

Elena was about to speak, but Sarah had arrived and spoke. "Why did you do that to her?"

"She's alive, Sarah, or will be." Elena said quickly. "I'll explain."

"You know what she's doing." Katherine said coldly to the witch.

"I know she, none of them have done anything. Only your people have killed anyone."

"That's not true!" Isobel snapped. "One has died. More haven't only because we didn't let them get to Elena."

"Only because you keep healing those they do hurt." Katherine added. "Rest with Elena now, please."

Katherine motioned to several vampires, including Isobel. "Marcus, you're with Elena."

"Do you need me?" Alaric asked.

"Not just now. Marcus will talk to the witch when she awakens, and give us any information we need. Get your ring back then."

Elena moved to stand next to Sarah and watched as her mother and great something or other grandmother, along with a number of other vampires moved away from them, wondering how she could get close enough to where they were going to help.


	83. Dealing with Witches

_For some unknown reason, Peachie X is still very nice to me and continues to Beta this story..._

Witch's Discussion

Bonnie felt trapped in the middle – again. Angry witches outside, angry, or at least annoyed vampires inside. One group wanted Elena for some reason, the other group would do anything – including use Bonnie – to keep them from Elena. Neither group was on her side.

It did occur to the witch that Elena would be on her side, would try to help her work this out rather than do anything to her to get what they wanted.

She hesitated at the front door, upset at what Damon and Stefan had said, but knowing that they were right. If not for Elena, she would be dead. Still, it didn't make what Heather had said earlier wrong.

"Please stop." Bonnie said as she opened the door. As expected, Heather was on the doorstep, another person beside her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Heather asked angrily as she pulled some of her black hair behind her ear and glared at Bonnie. "Let us in."

"I told you I needed to think about it."

"Do you need vampires inside with you to think?"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at the other witch. "You had vampires with you. They attacked us."

Heather didn't respond directly to the challenge. "It's not safe for you to be in there with Elena Gilbert."

Bonnie closed her eyes, bit her lip, and rubbed her forehead as she spoke. "You said you understood."

The witch inside the house found the silence all around her a little unnerving as she waited for a response. Finally she lifted her eyes to look at Heather, who then spoke.

"Bring her out, or let us in." Heather's anger was gone, but she spoke firmly.

Bonnie held the other witch's eyes, trying to keep her voice steady. "You need to explain this to me. I'll let you in, no one else."

"You want me to go in there alone with three vampires?"

"They won't hurt you." She interrupted as Heather finished her question. She wanted to avoid another demand to bring Elena out. "You know I can stop them. I promise they won't bother you while you're in here. I need you to explain this to me before I do anything else. Please."

Heather was glaring at her. It slowly softened to a stare as she responded, "No one will be allowed to leave. We have your house surrounded."

It did not take any effort for Bonnie to glare back this time. "This is how you ask for my help?"

"We don't need your help. We're trying to do you a favor. We're giving you a chance. It won't last."

Bonnie scowled, but nodded for Heather to come inside.

The other witch entered hesitantly, glancing around the room inside before turning to hold the door Bonnie was closing behind her. She spoke to another woman on the doorstep.

"Let me know if anything changes."

Bonnie closed the door to the woman outside, who was nodding to Heather. She motioned for the other witch to sit at a table.

Stefan and the other vampire stood next to each other watching from the entrance to a hallway. Stefan hoped that Heather would think Elena was behind them.

Heather stared into Bonnie's eyes as they sat opposite each other at the table. Elena's friend hesitated as long as she thought she could before asking, "Why do you want Elena? What has she done to you?"

* * *

Witch's Anger

Marcus didn't like it, but Elena didn't care. She, with Sarah and Alaric at her side, was next to the woman tied to the tree. Marcus stood a little away from them, closer to Jenna than the tree.

Sarah was on the phone, doing as the human girl asked. "Mom, I'm going to send you another picture. Can you tell me if you know her?"

Sarah was fuming as she used her phone to take the picture and pushed the buttons necessary to send it to her mother. "I'm not here to kill witches."

"She'll come back, Sarah." Elena was not really sure how to calm the witch, not really sure about everything that was going on around her. She did agree that she didn't want anyone else to die.

"You don't know what she was going to do." Alaric interjected. "She's here to kill or take Elena."

Sarah turned on the teacher. "Whoever the enemy here is, it's not her! They're inside the building Katherine wants to keep us out of. That's where we need to be, not here torturing …" She stopped talking in exasperation, shook her head and turned to Elena.

"I agree." Elena whispered, then glanced at Marcus to see if he was listening. He was looking at them, his face blank.

Sarah pulled Elena away from Alaric, then turned to face her, their faces almost touching. She closed her eyes and whispered desperately to the other girl. "I want to leave her alone. I want to go to the building and do whatever, but I don't want the vampires near her."

Elena considered what Sarah said as she watched the blonde witch's eyes open again. "You could put a protection spell around her, then we could talk to her."

Sarah looked at Marcus, then at the witch tied to the tree again.

"How long 'till she wakes up, Elena?" Sarah asked, turning towards the human girl.

"I don't know." Elena looked at Alaric, knowing they had moved far enough away that he couldn't hear them. She spoke to him in a normal voice, loud enough for him to hear.

"How long until she's back?"

"Anytime now." He turned and walked back to Jenna, annoyed that Elena and Sarah were keeping him out of their discussion.

Elena watched him as he reached Jenna and Jeremy. She was starting to doubt herself as she watched the teacher say something to her aunt.

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea to let them come with me."

She felt Sarah move next to her. "You didn't 'let' them, Elena. They insisted. I understand why – I could barely bear to leave you when Katherine took me to heal the vampires. They're even closer to you."

Elena turned away from her family to look at the witch tied to the tree again. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "People close to me get hurt. Jeremy's only okay because of you. Damon was hit by spells twice. I have no idea what that did to him, but I'm sure he's somewhere trying to find the danger, trying to protect me. How can they stand to even look at me?"

Sarah put her arm around Elena and faced the tree. "Don't beat yourself up. None of this is your fault."

Elena opened her eyes as she felt Sarah's arm fall from her. She watched the witch run to the tree, muttering something and answering her phone at the same time.

She ran towards the tree where the witch was waking up, where Sarah was standing, watching, talking on the phone with one hand, the fingers on the other moving as she maintained a protection spell.

Marcus was cursing when Elena reached the edge of the spell. "She needs to let me in."

"Let Sarah talk to her first, see what she can find out."

"Katherine won't…"

"Sarah works for Katherine," Elena interrupted, tired of hearing about what Katherine would not like. "We can trust her with this."

* * *

Witches Left Behind

Damon wanted to hang around, to try to hear what was happening at the Bennett house. He had gotten out before Heather had been invited in, before the various witches and vampires with her had found and taken positions allowing them to watch all the windows and doors of the house.

Though he was curious to know if Bonnie would try to stall Heather and the others, if she even could if she tried, he didn't dwell on it for long. Isobel had told him where Elena was going, but she was no longer responding to his texts. Elena would be in the open, and even though he was sure she would be surrounded by protective vampires and with Sarah, he was done leaving her safety to them. He would find her, make sure she was alright, then find whoever was sending vampires and witches after her.

He turned his back to the house and moved to where Isobel had said she was taking Elena.

* * *

Targeted Witches

"Maybe we should have brought Marcus. He could tell us for sure if this is where he was taken."

Katherine paused at Isobel's comment, then shook her head. "One of you two had to stay with Elena. He didn't go inside anyway, he wouldn't be able to tell us much about what is in there."

Isobel turned back to the building before another vampire was suddenly beside them.

"There's nothing to keep us out," He said. "We were able to get in in the back."

"I imagine they know we're here." Katherine said. "You didn't see anyone?"

"No. We were in and out quickly."

Katherine nodded, thought for a minute, then spoke to Isobel. "At least some of them are at the Bennett house. Do we know why?"

"Damon said they thought Elena was there. He and Stefan were trying to convince Bonnie to bluff them, to keep them there."

"I have Bonnie's promise, she'll protect Elena." Katherine said thoughtfully. "Still we need to move while we have the chance. Shall we enter front or back?"

"Or both." Isobel suggested. "Back first, to hopefully distract them. Then front?"

"Or both," Katherine repeated as she considered what Elena's mother said.


	84. The Bound and the Sworn

_Yeah, Peachie X is still here with her Beta. She has done so much, but she hasn't stopped yet..._

Not Mattering

Only three went to the back of the building. They would enter first according to the plan. The rest waited at the front with Katherine and Isobel and would enter a little later.

A text message from an irate Marcus had informed them that the captured witch was awake now, talking to Sarah, though the vampire was being excluded. Isobel had attempted to contact Damon again, but received no response. Katherine considered all this only briefly, before deciding to move anyway. She thought it best to finish it before any other hostile vampires or witches returned.

Those entering in the back of the building would be noisy and very un-vampire like, but she hoped it would draw most of the fire-power of whomever was inside. They would wait only 30 seconds or so from the time appointed for the rear assault to enter in the front. She hoped that would give time for whatever was inside to react and move away from the front, away from where they were.

At least, if they had not been detected yet.

When the time had arrived, Katherine and the vampires with her concentrated. They could tell that something inside was moving towards the back, but could not tell if it was everyone who was inside.

"Now." Katherine whispered. The front entry was very vampire-like. Silent and swift. It didn't matter. There were still witches and vampires waiting for them.

* * *

Problems

Elena stared at Sarah as she talked to the captured witch, trying to learn something from her expression. She watched it harden as the blonde made another phone call.

The human looked at the witch tied to the tree, trying to see if she could tell anything about what was being said.. She was totally unreadable.

Elena had watched Marcus put his phone away, probably talking to Katherine. He hadn't spoken to her – she was glad for that, but he still pushed against the spell. She could tell he was becoming enraged, he did not like being kept from the prisoner.

She was surprised when, as she was looking at him, he was suddenly able to move towards the witches.

It didn't last. Sarah had moved a few feet away from the witch, after removing Alaric's ring. She had also loosed the binding tying the witch to the tree. Marcus passed her, trying to get to the hostile witch, but was blocked again.

By the time he turned to face Sarah, she had moved to stand next to Elena. The blonde witch still wore an expression so harsh that the human girl was a little nervous to be standing next to her. But Sarah was focused on the vampire.

"Let us in." The vampire demanded.

"No!" Sarah's voice was harsher then Elena had ever heard it. "She is bound – will be for a couple of hours. She can't leave and you can't get to her. But make no mistake, she will have her powers when the binding wears off. Leave her alone – she'll leave quietly, but not if anyone bothers her."

Marcus just glared, looking from Sarah to the other witch and back. Sarah ignored him, turning to Alaric, showing him the ring and motioning for him to join them.

Elena was still unnerved by the witch's expression, but forced herself to speak.

"Sarah, what's wrong? What did you learn?"

The blonde's expression did not soften as she turned to Elena. "I learned a lot. I learned the Proctor witches aren't what I thought. They aren't what my mother said."

The witch didn't continue, didn't soften, she just kept glaring at Elena. Finally Elena asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I won't let your vampires hurt any more of them." Sarah said as Alaric arrived with Jeremy and Jenna. Elena noted that the vampires that had been standing near them were now unseen, except for Marcus.

After giving the ring back to Alaric, Sarah finally focused on Elena, rather than what the other witch had told her. She noticed that the girl was starting to look afraid and quickly shook her head, trying to snap herself out of it.

"None of this is your fault. I'll still do all I can to help you. It's just not so simple anymore." She turned away from them, but pulled Elena's arm to drag her along.

"What are you…?" Elena began before being interrupted by the witch.

"We need to go to the building. Your vampires are going to have a problem."

* * *

Thoughtless

Damon was moving at top speed. Before he had found the spot where Isobel said she was taking Elena, he found the building and heard the ruckus taking place inside. He heard Elena's name and Isobel's voice. He entered without further thought.

* * *

Not Quite What it Seemed

Elena and Sarah were running.

When they had started to move ahead, Jeremy had joined them, walking next to Sarah, though not speaking. Elena wasn't happy about this until she noticed that the witch was calming down, softening. She still didn't let Elena speak, always bringing her finger to her lips and shaking her head, telling Elena to be quiet.

Then Jeremy saw the building and started running towards it in front of them. Jenna had lagged behind them, Alaric at her side.

Elena was sure her brother was just showing off for Sarah, but every time she tried to call to him, the witch shushed her again. He was almost out of sight when he was caught and held.

Sarah had been watching. As Elena gasped, the witch pulled her to a slow walk, holding her back. Or maybe it was the protection spell that Elena had figured out was being cast around her.

"Can you cover Jeremy?" Elena asked desperately. She could tell that Sarah was concentrating hard, and was not surprised when she did not respond at first, but the witch did finally speak to her.

"Trying. I'll probably get one or two of them in the spell as well. Are they vampires?"

"I don't know," the girl said quickly, turning to look behind her to see to see how far back Alaric and Jenna were.

When she turned back to look at Jeremy, she noticed something she hadn't before. She grabbed the witch's arm.

"Wait, Sarah."

Sarah turned to the human, her frustration at not being able to push the spell to Jeremy showing on her face. "Are they yours?"

Elena shook her head. "No, but look. They're just talking to him."

Sarah looked back to Jeremy and could see that his sister was right. It still stunned her when he raised a hand and motioned for them to join him.

"Drop the spell" Elena said from beside her.

The witch didn't look at the human, she just continued looking at Elena's brother. "Do you know them?"

"Actually, I think we do."

* * *

More Trouble

Damon found himself in a hallway, running unchallenged to the only room he could see with the lights on. He had passed a number of figures lying on the floor, some vampires, some not, unsure if they were dead or not. He didn't stop to check, just moved straight to the room. He could tell it was large before he entered. He could also hear a little of the conversation before making his entrance.

"It has to be her." It was a man's voice. "She's with vampires, like we were told."

"And witches?" a gruff voice responded.

Katherine was being held, struggling hard against a strong vampire, who spoke now "She's a…"

Damon was there, ripping his head off before he finished the sentence.

A witch standing nearby acted immediately, casting a spell in his direction. He hit a wall and collapsed immediately.

"No!" Katherine screamed, ignoring the others in the room, running to where Damon had hit the wall.

Isobel, who was also being held, used the distraction to pull herself free. She managed to reach the witch, hitting her hard enough to break the spell before being subdued by two other vampires again.

The man spoke again when things were relatively quiet. "Another piece falls into place. That is the vampire she loves."

Isobel recognized the vampire that moved towards Damon and Katherine. It was the vampire she had faced earlier, the vampire that had drawn them from the Gilbert house while a witch went inside to try to take Elena.

Katherine found herself being held again, but did not struggle. She just looked at Damon with a distraught face. If she was acting, Isobel thought she was doing a good job. Her expression reflected true concern. Her face and her actions could have easily been Elena's.

"Elena Gilbert." the gruff voice spoke again as the vampire neared Katherine. "You've been far more trouble than expected."

* * *

Sworn, Not Bound

Bonnie had stopped asking questions. She was just listening to Heather, when the other witch's phone vibrated.

Heather looked at it and scowled, immediately rising. Her sudden actions brought Stefan quickly to Bonnie's side. The other vampire remained in place, trying to maintain the ruse.

"What are you doing?" Heather asked angrily. "She's not here is she? They already have her."

Bonnie looked at the other witch, her eyes tired, and shook her head. She spoke softly when she said "I don't know where she is."

"This does not bode well for you Bonnie Bennett." Heather was moving towards the door.

The threat startled Bonnie and cleared her head at the same time. Her eyes flared. "I'm not a Proctor witch. This isn't my fight!"

Heather had reached the door, but turned back the Bennett witch as she pulled the door to open it. "If you get in our way again…"

She cut herself off when she felt the resistance.

"Let me go!" she demanded.

Bonnie shook her head, remaining in place. "No! You're not leaving until I know if something really happened to Elena!"

Heather saw the anger in Bonnie's expression and realized the danger she had let herself fall into. She tried to hide her concern and control her voice as she spoke. "I've told you everything. You know what we have to do and you know why."

Bonnie rose and moved next to Stefan who was on his phone trying to reach someone. Her face had not softened, her voice reflected the finality of her decision. "And I've told you I'm not a Proctor witch. I'm not bound to what you have to do. I'm sworn to protect Elena."


	85. Vampires and Witches and Rings and Elena

Arguments and Promises

"It's too risky for them."

Elena was still arguing with Sarah, about the plan the witch had shared with them.

"It's riskier for the vampire's going in there – Katherine's or Nathaniel's." Alaric said as he handed his ring to one of Nathaniel's vampires.

Although Elena was glad that some of Nathaniel's were nearby and were sent to help when he learned of her situation, she still did not like her brother or Alaric giving up their rings to vampires going inside. They would be even more at risk.

"I could go in with them and do this," Jeremy said as Marcus had his hand outstretched, waiting for the ring.

Sarah spoke before Elena could object, though Elena thought the witch was smiling a little at her brother as she spoke. "You're fast, but not fast enough. Any witches in there would be able to react before you got to him. It has to be vampire speed – and vampire strength too for that matter."

Marcus had finally left the witch at the tree. He knew that whatever else happened, Katherine would want him with Elena, though the current plan would put her in the hands of a different vampire, a vampire that would not be going in.

"They may not even work on vampires." The human girl grumbled again. Though she really was upset about the humans losing their rings, she was even more upset about being left outside. No one would let her do anything to help.

"No reason why they shouldn't." Sarah countered. She had been watching Jeremy as he handed over the ring, but she turned to Elena now.

"Elena, my mom knows about this guy. She knows what we need to do to take him out and we can do it, but they need these rings, just in case."

"I can't stand this. Stefan says that witches and vampires left Bonnie's house because they know I'm not there and they think they have me here." Elena closed her eyes and shook her head, and spoke under her breath to add, "not that he told me why they thought I was there." Risking her best friend like that was not something she would have allowed.

She opened her eyes and looked at Sarah, desperation in her expression and voice. "They've got Katherine in there. I need to go in and help her."

Sarah didn't falter. She spoke firmly as she replied, "Not this time Elena. These witches don't seem to know why they were sent for you, but I'm not going to find out by giving you to them."

"But they'll come here, they'll find me anyway." She was passed being afraid of whoever was chasing her. She just wanted to do something to help.

"Which is why you won't be here – any of you." She recognized the vampire that spoke. Not that she knew his name, but she had seen him around her when she started paying more attention.

"Which is also why we need to go now." Elena thought of the vampire that spoke this time as the one that was in charge of Nathaniel's group.

"My mom says if we can take this guy out, they'll have to leave, they'll have go back to whoever sent them to regroup." Sarah said.

"And they'll be watched now." The Nathaniel-in-charge guy added.

"I thought you were mad at your mom for lying to you." Elena grumbled to Sarah as several vampires herded her to join Jeremy, Jenna and Alaric.

"Oh yeah," Sarah smiled as Elena was led away. "We're still going to rumble – after we keep you alive and I get some sleep."

The humans were either lifted into arms or climbed onto backs and were whisked away.

"The vampires can die, but the others live." Sarah reminded as the remaining vampires and witch moved into the planned formation and entered the building.

The blonde witch was nervous, on the back of a vampire who would soon be moving at full speed. She wasn't sure she would be able to maintain the protection spell around the four vampires that would be entering in front of her at this speed. It was meant to keep the hostile vampires and any witches who reacted fast enough from getting to them. But even if she could keep it up long enough or no one reacted in time, the rings were there for a reason. Their target was dangerous - they expected to lose at least a couple of the vampires.

* * *

Interruptions

Katherine had to force herself to wince as the other vampire held onto her. She had decided to keep up the Elena ruse as long as possible, to learn something if she could.

She didn't have to force herself to express concern for Damon. That was real – she hadn't lied to him when she previously told him of the feelings she had for him.

"Don't hurt him." She whispered the plea while the vampire held her. She could tell she would have trouble getting away from the vampire when she had to - he was strong.

Isobel had made it into the room with her along with two others. Katherine had no idea of the status of those that entered the building with her but hadn't made it into the room, or the status of the three that had entered through the back door.

She did think that if they could have brought just a few more, things would have turned out differently.

"Too late – he's already hurt." The other vampire smirked. "He killed one of us – he deserves to lie there in pain until we decide to take him."

"He was just protecting me." She managed an even softer whisper this time.

She found herself being pulled violently to face the other vampire. "Him I understand. Not the others."

His voice remained sharp as he stared into the eyes she tried make look afraid. "I don't know why they want you, but with all of the protection around you, there must be something about you that I can't see. Something they know."

He stared at her long enough that she started to worry about the silence. She used the line she had heard from Elena, "But I'm nobody."

That broke his stare. "We'll know soon enough." She winced as he turned to give Damon a kick violent enough that it sent him into the nearby wall again. He was dragging her to another part of the room as she heard them enter.

Everyone in the room was caught off guard. She couldn't even really count the number of vampires that entered and moved straight towards her. She did see someone with blonde hair on one of them as several vampires reached them.

Her captor released her and had managed to take down a couple of the vampires before others got to him. He was able to hold them off until she turned on him. She could tell he was surprised, but it still took the combined effort of three of them to take him out.

She had heard witches starting to cast, but by the time she was able to listen again, it had stopped. As soon as she was finally able to glance around the room she saw a number of vampires down, also a few other people – witches or humans-were standing, being held, some having been bitten, some not, but all alive.

She hadn't figured all of this out before she heard a voice she recognized – Sarah's. "Let them go, you promised."

Katherine didn't speak. She wasn't sure what was happening, but decided not to argue with her rescuer. She just watched as those being held were released and hesitantly went to each other. Isobel almost acted, but when she saw Katherine watching, she decided to just let it happen, though she did move to stand beside Katherine as they heard Sarah spoke again.

"Leave now, while you can. Remember this."

Those who had been held started moving faster, the uninjured helping the injured. Most stared briefly at the blonde witch before breaking eye contact to leave. Only one spoke her name.

"Sarah Proctor?" The girl appeared to be her age, though Sarah did not recognize her.

The blonde witch nodded in response and repeated herself. "Go now. Hurry!"

Katherine had continued to stare at Sarah, but as the witch turned to her, she remembered. "Damon!" she said forcefully, pointing to the vampire against the wall.

* * *

Reunions

The vampires had brought Elena and the others back to the building, though only Elena was allowed to enter. She had seen several bodies that night, some she knew were dead, some she wasn't sure about. She didn't know about the ones she passed now as Marcus escorted her to Katherine, but she had the same reaction, she still felt sick. She noticed Sarah when she entered the room and quickly focused on her. The blonde witch was working her healing spells again and did not acknowledge Elena's entrance.

The human's eyes had moved from the witch to Katherine when she saw him right next to her.

"Damon!" She ran to the side opposite from Katherine, who was sitting next to him. She was afraid to touch him, but looked into his eyes as he looked at her. "Oh god, are you alright?"

"Just peachy." Damon spat in an annoyed voice. "This is getting old."

Elena didn't understand. She looked desperately at Katherine, not sure of what he meant, hoping she would elaborate.

"A spell," Katherine said with no emotion. "He tells me it's not the first time tonight."

"Damon…" Elena started worriedly, her brows furrowing and her warm brown eyes getting even larger in alarm. Though she thought he would be somewhere looking for her, she thought he would have come to her. She didn't know he was here, getting hurt again. She didn't know the danger he had been in, how close she'd come to loosing him.

"I'm fine Elena, though Blondie had to do her mojo on me again." Damon 's face was blank again as he nodded his head towards Sarah. He'd be damned if he'd let on to her just how screwed he'd been.

"He helped us, Elena. A lot. I'm sure I'm alive because he came." Elena still saw no emotion as she looked at Katherine, even when she softly added "Though, I think he thought he was coming to you." She continued in a normal voice. "He needs to rest – Sarah says he needs to stay here for 15 or 20 minutes before he can move around."

Elena felt a wave of relief, turning back to Damon. "Okay. Fifteen minutes, then we'll go home."

"No, Elena." Katherine countered drawing Elena's eyes quickly back to her. "Sarah's almost done. I need for you to talk to her alone. I need you to find out why she let the vampires die, but kept the witches alive."

Elena's eyes returned to Damon as she responded. "I know she talked to her mom, that she thinks her mom lied to her about her family, but I don't know if she'll tell me anything else." She still couldn't tell anything from looking at the vampire she loved, he just sat there looking at her.

"Isobel thinks you can get Sarah to do anything for you. She thinks you have a bond. Please talk to her."

Elena nodded, her attention returning to Katherine. "I will, but something's changed. I don't know if she'll still talk to me."

"Something has changed," Katherine confirmed. "I need to know what."

"She works for you. Can't you just ask her?" Elena asked hopefully, really only wanting to tend to Damon, not to deal with Katherine's problems. She wanted them all home safe and sound and alive.

Katherine nodded. "I will, but she has done far more already than our agreement demanded. She has the advantage right now. Here she comes."

Elena stood and turned to face Sarah. The witch looked very tired as she spoke to Katherine. "I think that's all."

"Thank you, Sarah. Isobel will take you and Elena home. I'll be in touch to discuss how we can repay you for your help here." Then the vampire spoke to Elena. "I'll make sure Damon gets home when he's able."

"I'll find my own way." Damon said sharply from next to her. If he wasn't going with Elena then he was bloody well making his own way home.

Elena just nodded to her and knelt down to bestow a brief kiss on Damon's mouth, then she whispered into his ear. "I'm going to see Bonnie first, then home. You're welcome either place."

"Not her…" Damon started to argue before Elena touched his lips with a slender finger, stopping him.

"Yes her." She wasn't sure what had happened, but she wasn't going to it leave it to Stefan or Damon to keep her updated. "I can't leave it like this, Damon. We're going to understand each other before I go home. We owe each other that much. But please, come and see me tonight." She stated with a firm tone yet gazing softly at him; she needed him to understand.

She couldn't read either vampire's expression as she rose and walked towards the door, but hoped both had understood and accepted what she had said. Isobel quickly moved in front of her in order to lead the way out.

* * *

Bound and Loved

"Bound? Like slaves or something?" Elena asked, her gaze moving from Bonnie to Sarah and back. The vampires had been invited out of the house when Elena and Sarah arrived and were allowed to enter by Bonnie.

"That's what Heather said." Bonnie replied.

"That's what I was told." Sarah agreed. "When I talked to my mom, she was uncomfortable enough when I brought it up that I believe it. I could barely get her to give me a binding spell. She knows I'll be asking for details."

"But how? By who?" the human asked.

Sarah just shrugged, but Bonnie spoke. "I don't know, she really didn't say. Just that it was hundreds of years ago, and that they were ordered to go after you."

"Which is why you let the witches go?"

The blonde witch nodded. "They're my family, and they didn't have a choice."

"You chose." Elena said letting out a breath.

The blonde witch nodded. "I did, but I didn't know everything. I still don't. They think we betrayed them – at least that's what I was told. Maybe I understand why."

The human girl closed her eyes. "Then they'll be back." She whispered. "Will you still help me then?" She asked, looking again at her new friend, sounding a little desperate.

"Yes!" Sarah quickly reassured. "I'm not on their side, not with you. I'll do everything I can for you."

Elena nodded and turned to her best friend, having no idea what to expect. "You Bonnie? Will you help me?"

Bonnie hesitated and stared at Elena long enough that Sarah finally spoke. "How did you leave it with Heather?"

"We're not friends." Bonnie told the other witch. "She'll never let herself be lured into my house again."

"But us, Bonnie." Elena repeated. She had to get some sort of answer, had know where they stood. "Are we alright?"

It still took few seconds before Bonnie nodded. "For now. I still need to think some things over."

"OK." Elena whispered to herself, not really comforted as she turned to walk to and sit on the couch, eyes closed rubbing her head with her palm. "Someone will be back for me." She said softly to herself.

Damon entered unannounced, rushed into the room far enough to see Elena's expression, then turned to glare at Bonnie. "What did you do to her?"

"Damon, no!" Elena started to rise – not this again, not now - but saw that the blonde witch had moved to stand between her best friend and her boyfriend. She didn't know if one of the witches did something, but Damon stopped suddenly.

"Stop that!" Damon hissed sharply though gritted teeth.

"You stop." Sarah retorted. "Elena needs you, but not this you. She needs you to be the Damon she loves."

Damon's glare hardened briefly before softening as he turned to Elena, who was watching him, before he really looked at her – studying her expression and posture. He quickly moved to sit next her and pulled her close. She buried her head into his shoulder as he slipped his arms around her. He thought he could kill them all later for upsetting her - right now she needed him.

He felt her tension as he turned his total attention to the girl he loved. He spoke softly to her, trying to comfort her, not knowing part of her problem was with him, not knowing she was trying to decide what to do about it.

* * *

Working Things Out

The drive from Bonnie's house to Elena's was unbearably quiet. Sarah was in the back, unwilling to say anything that might disturb the stone-faced vampire and the exhausted human in the front. Damon kept his eyes on the road, knowing Elena was still tense and worried, but not willing to push her just yet. Elena just appeared tired and lost in thought.

Damon hesitated when the car stopped at her house, waiting to see what Elena would do. It was Sarah who opened her door first. "I'll find Jeremy and...while you... " She wasn't sure exactly what to say since neither of the other two were responding. "Just come find me when you're ready, Elena." The witch hesitated briefly but left the car when neither responded.

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Elena spoke.

"Did you ever thank her, Damon?" She didn't look at him. She knew he had turned to her when Sarah left, but felt him turn away now.

"You should." She added flatly when he didn't speak or look back to her.

"We both..." He started, but didn't continue - knowing she would know what he had intended to say. They both owed her so much.

"Are you really all right?" she asked, finally turning to face him with eyes filled with concern and genuine care.

Damn, she was beautiful. The vampire nodded and actually looked like he was considering his reply. "I think so." He answered honestly, warmed by the concern he found in her gaze.

She searched his eyes with hers briefly before letting herself go and pushing as much of herself as she could towards him. He had to move slightly to allow her to wrap her arms around him, but he did and pulled her into a tight hug,

"I was so scared." She whispered in a small voice that sent shivers down his spine. She was so strong and at times stupidly brave, but no one was made for a life like hers.

His reply was spoken just as softly as her words had been. "I know. They came for you." He could only imagine how afraid she must be. And himself? He was terrified of losing her.

She felt his hand cradle the back of her head, and didn't bother to contradict him, to tell him that it was him she was afraid for. There were virtually nothing she feared more than losing him, and what was left of her tiny broken family.

It was quiet for a minute as she let him simply hold her; so quiet that she was starting to notice her own breathing before he spoke again. "Are you alright?"

"Not a scratch." She said before she remembered the cuts on her palms, "You guys didn't let anything get close to me." She continued, rather than worrying him unnecessarily.

She felt him nod as he whispered "Good."

She didn't want to break the hug, but she was starting to feel the discomfort of the car.

"We need to get out of this car, go somewhere else."

He didn't release her until he felt her pull back. "Upstairs?" He asked and waggled his eyebrows in an attempt to lighten the mood.

He was rewarded with an eye-roll and a small, but tired smile before Elena nodded. It was all she could do to pull herself away enough to open her door and leave the car.

"I'll see you there." Damon said as he went through his own door.

"No." Elena said forcefully. "Walk with me, come up with me." Things needed to change and this was a perfect way for them to do just that.

Damon moved to stand next to her with a cautious look on his face. "What about Jenna?"

Elena shrugged and offered another small smile. "She'll have to deal. She doesn't want anything hidden, I don't want to hide you."

She grasped his hand and led him through the door and to the kitchen door where Jenna was at the table talking with Isobel.

Damon was stunned that Elena didn't even look surprised to see her mother and aunt talking. He didn't know Elena had asked Isobel to stay with Jenna until she returned home, had asked her to be nice about it.

"We're here." The girl said. "We'll be upstairs."

Jenna's eyes moved from Elena to Isobel as the vampire stood to leave.

"I need to go now." Isobel said flatly, though as she turned towards Elena and nodded before leaving the house, the human thought she had the slightest hint of a smile.

"You'll be up to check on us in a few minutes?" Elena asked her aunt with an amused curl to her lips. Jenna was still watching where Isobel had gone, but turned to her niece and nodded.

Elena saw a small wave from Sarah as they passed where they could see into the living room while going to the stairs. The witch and her brother were sitting on the couch. She was glad they weren't too close together.

She pulled the vampire into her arms again as soon as they were both in her bedroom behind closed doors.

"Thank you, Damon."She whispered. It was sincere, she didn't know everything, but knew that whatever he had done that night, it was for her.

"You know I'd do anything for you." He replied, feeling that she was still tense, wanting to reassure her in any way he could.

She tilted her chin up to be able to look him in the eyes. "I know." She whispered through smiling lips.

She let him hold her for a minute before pulling herself away and sitting on the bed facing him. She had to do this now, get it out before she let herself get lost in his presence.

She spoke before he figured out if he was supposed to follow, supposed to sit next to her. "You'd do anything for me and I'd do anything for you, but Damon, it can't be like this between us. We can't be like this."

Damon was caught off guard. He tried desperately to read her expression; to see what had changed.

He saw nothing. He tentatively approached her. "Like what?"

She held his eyes as he moved and stopped near her. This was as hard as she feared. She spoke softly, really not able to speak louder. "You lied to me. I lied to you. I didn't want to, but I thought you would be upset if you knew the truth."

He sat next to her now, relieved that she turned to him and held his eyes, "I knew the truth, or at least suspected it."

She did turn away now, looking down and releasing a breath, "And I knew the truth about what you were going to do." She turned back to face him, hoping she didn't look as desperate as she felt, "It can't be that way between us. I can't do this if I think I have to lie to you."

He put his arm around her but held her eyes. "You don't, Elena." She was right, this couldn't be the way they did things. He would have said that they had always been honest with each until she mentioned this.

"You can't lie to me and you can't threaten the people around me. You can't be nice to me but a jerk to everyone else." She had to force this out quickly, knowing he wouldn't like what she said, but thinking that if they kept this up they'd end up destroying each other.

He rose abruptly, walking a few steps away before turning back to face her, his face hard. "You mean I can't worry about you? I can't try to keep threats away from you?" She couldn't be serious; she couldn't possibly want to force him not to care.

Elena lowered her eyes seeing the fury and concern boiling under his composed surface, thinking she had screwed this up. The words she had said to him so recently came back to her mind. 'I hurt everyone I love'. He had laughed then, he wasn't laughing now. "That's not what I meant Damon." She tried again, needing him to understand.

He could see that she was frustrated, maybe even a little hurt or worse, afraid. He forced his expression to soften as he closed the gap between them. "What then, Elena?" He said in a strained voice.

Thankful for his attempt at composure Elena lifted her eyes towards his and tried again, "Don't treat me like I'm a 'damsel in distress'. I'm not. You can't treat the people around me, the people I trust, like the enemy." She watched him desperately, trying to see if he understood.

"Elena, I ..." He wasn't sure how to explain without upsetting her, "I worry about you, you're so... fragile. Someone is out to kill you. What do you expect me to do?" He wanted to mention that she was merely a human, but knew that would not go over well despite being the truth.

"I worry about you too, Damon, but I don't try to keep you from your life." Her thought remained unspoken, 'please just let me stay in it'. She spoke aloud again, "You have to let me live mine."

"I just want you to be safe." He could immediately tell that it irritated her.

He wasn't understanding. She rubbed her head fearing that they had entered some sort of twisted carousel where they simply restated the obvious and never moved forward. Her frustration, her fear just rolled out of her. "I want you to be safe. My family too. Bonnie and Sarah." She shook her head. "But, you're not safe, not while near me."

Damon sat next to her again and pulled her chin to face him. "I don't care about that. I don't need safe for me."

She turned away again hoping he understood her, knowing it wasn't enough. "I do. I need it for all of you."

Damon reached his arm around her and waited for her to say something. When she didn't he whispered into her ear, "Just let me stay with you." He needed the reassurance. His life had been long enough and without her, it would be pointless.

She closed her eyes, relieved since she had just worried about him wanting to stay with her, and nodded, then raised her arm to show him the bracelet he had given her. "It's not going anywhere."

She turned towards him and pulled him into a hug. "I'm tired and afraid, Damon. I'm worried about Bonnie and Sarah and you." She pulled back to look into his eyes. "But Damon, I want to be with you. I'll always want to be with you. We just have some things to work out. We're still getting used to each other."

He looked into her eyes, remembering all the reasons he wanted to be with her, the reasons he loved her.

"Yeah," Damon whispered, pulling her head closer to his as he moved in. "And we'll work them out. But right now, let's put that on hold, I think we can agree that we might have just a little bit of catching up do."

She didn't quite follow what he meant. She found herself saying something like "hmmm?" as he closed the gap between their lips, then "Mmmm" as she let herself fall into catching up with him.

When she had to pull away enough to breathe again, she gasped "Jenna."

For once, Damon wished the blonde witch would come up – but only long enough to do some kind of mojo to block the door.

-The End-

_Thanks to Ethereal Demon, who helped me with parts of this chapter (if you know us both, you can tell where) and whose stories are definitely worth checking out if you haven't yet. My favorite is "Unsuccessfully Saying Goodbye", but there are other gems there…_

_And my never-ending gratitude to Peachie X remains. She put up with a lot from me as she Betaed (or whatever) these last couple of stories. I can never repay her and neither can you…_

_I don't know if there'll be another story along the line of these, if there is I will rely heavily on both Peachie X and Ethereal Demon (if they won't help, this may be the end). If there is another story, an Epilogue will appear (like usual) and the game will continue…_

_If not, thanks for doing this with me. That anyone came along on this journey is amazing and flattering. That so many of you seem to be superb people is most excellent. Whether this is the end or not, take care, and thanks..._

_John Reed_


	86. Epilogue Unexpected Absence

_The current Vampire Diaries hiatus (or break or whatever) is annoying, and things have fallen into place, so this story will continue._

_Thanks to EtherealDemon and aj81writing who added their magic to this, and to Peachie X, who has agreed (despite the abuse I have inflicted on her in the past) to Beta this story. _

_With any luck, this will be pretty well done when the show returns, so...lets get it on!_

Damon didn't go through the front door of the Gilbert house. He rarely did and Elena never asked him to. He just assumed she had worked out whatever issues Jenna had with him, but he didn't ask. Frankly, he didn't want to know as long as it was sorted.

She was expecting him, she had asked him to come. When she asked him to come over in the past, she was usually sitting in a chair or on the bed waiting for him. She might be reading or writing in her journal, but somehow she always heard him, turned immediately to him upon his arrival and always greeted him. Warmly.

Not tonight. She was staring into a mirror, brushing the long, dark hair he loved so much. She appeared completely lost in thought. He wasn't early, but she was obviously distracted. She didn't notice him.

She was absolutely breathtaking, so Damon didn't disturb her, didn't make his presence known. He just watched, breathing her in. Actually, watching Elena doing normal things was something he really enjoyed. Whether she was sleeping, brushing her hair, eating, reading – just about anything she did when she was alone. Maybe it was the silence. If she was talking, he felt he had to give her his full attention. But if she wasn't paying attention to him, if she was lost in her thoughts – aware of him or not – she was just so perfect, he could watch her forever; for eternity.

It had been weeks since their encounter with the Proctor witches and a number of strong vampires. Elena had settled back into her normal routine – as normal as her routine ever was. For her, he was trying to be nicer to her friends. He would try anything she asked him to, just glad that, whatever his past sins were, she was sticking with him. It was still hard for him to believe that this gorgeous creature let him stay with her.

She was in her routine, he was able to be with her far more than he had ever dared hope, but she wasn't herself – at least not the Elena he had imagined her to be, known her to be before the Proctors came into her life. Not that they were her problem – certainly not Sarah. Elena had been right about that, the blonde witch did nothing but help her, and once he realized that, he would be forever grateful that Sarah had been with Elena, had protected her when the girl he loved was most at risk.

It wasn't Sarah's fault, but something had changed in Elena since then. As far as he knew, she hadn't spoken to Sarah since they had parted several weeks ago, the witch being determined to learn the truth about her family. As far as he knew, Elena hadn't given her a second thought. She hadn't mentioned that family of witches at all.

Actually, as far as he knew, she had barely spoken to Bonnie. She saw her best friend at school, but school was almost over. Damon wondered if they had resolved the complications that Heather had brought into the Bennett witch's life. He had stopped bringing it up with Elena, she just said she was letting Bonnie work it out. He had considered asking the witch himself, but he knew where that would go, and he really was trying to be nicer to the people around Elena.

He watched her brush her hair, still staring into the mirror, still lost in thought. Still as beautiful as ever.

Nicer to the people around her. It really wasn't much to ask of him, he was absolutely willing to do anything for her. It helped that no one seemed to be trying to kill her lately, kill or abduct her. Even Katherine had left her alone for more than a week.

Elena had been able to lose herself in the activities that came with the end of school, she was busy doing the things she loved to do. Or the things she used to love to do. She just wasn't herself.

She was still brushing her hair. Really, how long could she do that before it fell out? He decided to make himself known.

Before he did, she put the brush down, rose and turned to face him.

"Am I that repulsive to you, Damon? Am I untouchable now?"

She was teasing, it wasn't the first time she had caught him just watching her. Still, she did it with such a straight face…

He was instantly in front of her, arms wrapped around her and lifting her a few inches off of the floor. It usually made her laugh, not this time though .

He put her down quickly – not that he wanted to, but he knew her arms were pinned in an uncomfortable position. She willingly gave him all the hugs, kisses, love he could handle. She would do it again, he didn't have to try to take it from her.

"How long did you know I was there?" He was smiling a little, ineffectively trying to get the somber look off her face.

"As long as you've been there. Maybe it does nothing to you when I'm nearby, but I still feel a tingle when you're within a hundred feet of me."

Her expression didn't change. His heart began to sink. This was not Elena, not his Elena. Not even close. Is this what she acted like around Stefan before she dumped him?

He pushed that worry immediately from his mind and met her eyes. She was concentrating on him, though he had no idea what was going on behind the eyes he loved.

"You wanted to see me. Here I am."

She cracked the slightest hint of a smile and pointed to the bed. Then she laid on the covers and waited for him to lay beside her, before turning to face him.

Her eyes closed as she whispered, "Damon, I need your help."

He began to think this was serious now. He wasn't going to close the distance between them, she had chosen it, but he reached his arm to hers, gave it a gentle squeeze, and left it in place as he whispered his reply. "Elena, I'll help you with anything. You know that."

She felt bad. He had given her everything she asked of him, been there time after time. She knew he would do anything for her, but that didn't make it easy to ask. "I know. I've asked so much, and now this."

Her eyes were still closed. He gave her a few seconds before whispering to her again. "What, Elena?"

She opened her eyes now and he could see that she was upset. Her dark eyes met his blue eyes for a few seconds before she spoke in a soft voice. "I can't let it happen again Damon. Jeremy was hurt, Bonnie was threatened, Jenna at risk. And you..." She released a breath before closing her eyes again. "If Sarah hadn't been here…"

He wanted to say 'we would have worked it out.' He absolutely believed that. He said what he thought she wanted to hear "I know." It wasn't a lie, he did know. He owed the witch.

"No one would let me help, Damon." He was grateful her eyes were open again, grateful to be able to look into them, even though he was afraid they showed pain. "No one would let me help, even though they were here because of me."

Her thoughts were a little disjointed as she spoke them, but he understood. As much as he wanted to protect her, to keep her from having to face any danger, she wasn't willing to let others fight for her while she stood idly by. It just wasn't her.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked her after she seemed lost in though again, though still looking into his eyes.

"We need to go, get away from here. We need to find whoever came after me and deal with them."

'We'. He was glad for that, that she wouldn't try to do this on her own, though he thought she might if he didn't prove that he was with her. He chose his words carefully. "Jenna?"

"I'll tell her I need to do something for Katherine. She hasn't even tried to interfere lately."

He nodded and tried again. "Bonnie?"

She didn't hesitate. "Has been in enough danger because of me. Just you and me, Damon."

He felt relieved. She wasn't herself because she was worried about those she loved. She was his Elena after all, worried about loved ones, and willing to put herself into his hands. Willing to trust him completely to help her with what she thought she needed to do.

"There'll be witches and vampires around whoever we're going after."

She sat up, a little uncomfortable in her position on the bed. "Well duh," came out before she could stop it. This wasn't how she asked for help, how she treated him.

She let out a breath and closed her eyes as he sat up as well. "Sorry. I mean we'll deal, Damon, We'll work it out – you and me. They'll think I have vampires and witches around me, we'll be able to surprise them."

Damon let a laugh escape through his nose, wondering what Isobel would think of this scheme of Elena's. He immediately fought it off. "You remember that Katherine has you surrounded with her vampires."

She had been scowling at his laugh, but softened and nodded. "The hardest part. But tell me you'll help me, take me wherever we need to go. Tell me you'll come with me and we'll figure out a way to ditch the idiots."

He managed to smile without laughing this time. She had reverted to her old nickname for Katherine's protection, the nickname she had stopped using recently. This was definitely a good sign that her fire was back.

"The 'anything' I'll do for your includes that, Elena, but I would have hoped you already knew that."

She nodded and hugged him, relieved at his response, expected as it was. She still had no idea what she was asking of him, no idea what they would have to do to put an end to the threat looming over her friends and family.

* * *

Stefan noticed it first. School was over, Damon was with Elena at her house, probably doing things with her that he didn't want to imagine. Well, this time they would be interrupted.

He tried to keep his frustration from her. She was nice enough when she asked him favors and he always complied. She always promised to find a way to repay him, he always said he didn't expect it. She never did, and it was getting old.

Not that it was hard to hide his frustrations from her. She was rarely around him. He tried to live the life he lived before she came into his, but he was starting to realize he could not do that in Mystic Falls. Whether he saw her or not, everywhere in town held some kind of memory of her. But leaving would mean giving up on her, and that was impossible.

He approached the Gilbert house, just wanting to be near her for a little bit, when he noticed something unusual.

He had to check and verify. He knew some of the places her protectors usually were, places where they would be unseen from the house, but would be able to watch the house and the area around it.

He looked in all of them. They were nowhere to be found. But he was sure she was home, he had heard her and Damon inside.

It was no longer his habit, she would have killed him if he had done it since the damned bracelet appeared, but he skipped the door and went straight to her room.

The sight that he found could have been much worse – he had almost expected it. But she was just sitting at her desk, writing in her journal, speaking occasionally to Damon who was lying on her bed, playing with her Teddy bear.

"What?" The older brother's challenge and glare were expected under the circumstance. She turned to look at him as well. He expected annoyance, but only saw curiosity in her gaze.

"There's no one here."

"What?" Damon's tone was different this time, though he was still annoyed. Stefan kept his eyes on Elena.

"There are no vampires outside. No one is around your house, Elena."

The girl looked quickly to Damon, a concerned expression on her face. He had barely noticed it before he was up and out the window, leaving his girlfriend with her ex.

He was back before Stefan even considered moving or saying anything else. "He's right."

"Wha…Why?" She knew immediately that the question made no sense, they wouldn't know.

She had never thought that the absence of her Katherine-imposed protection would upset her, but it did. They had, from time to time, proven that they would protect her, which, from time to time, she unfortunately needed. If nothing else, something had changed and she didn't know what.

She sat down on the bed, worried expression on her face easily seen by both vampires. Neither knew exactly what to do.

Damon moved to sit next to her and started to speak, his eyes only meeting a single finger, shaking from side to side, telling him to be quiet.

She tried not think too much as she pulled the Katherine phone out. It had gotten her in trouble every time she had used it in the past. But even if Katherine just yelled at her again, at least it would be contact. At least she would know what had changed.


	87. Loyalty

_The game begins again...come and play!_

_Thansk to aj81writing who performed Beta duties on this story. I am grateful (and you would be too if you saw this before she got ahold of it...)_

Loyalty

"Voicemail," Elena whispered, "Though it rang first."

"That's good, right?" Stefan said quickly, before Elena scowled and put a finger to her lips to tell him to be quiet.

"Katherine, it's Elena. Can you call me, please?"

"Why would you…" Stefan began before Elena interrupted him.

"Stefan! Let me think."

She glanced at Damon, whose face showed concern, before she closed her eyes to think, her phone still in her hand.

Damon glanced at his brother. Stefan was scowling, though he stayed where he was, a few feet from where Damon and Elena sat on her bed.

"The vampires were outside when you came, right Damon?" She asked.

"Yes."

She took a deep breath and then addressed both of them, looking between them as she spoke. "Will you two see if you can find out where they were, see if you can follow them? Maybe figure out where they went?"

"Why would we do that?" Stefan asked.

"Because she asked us to," Damon growled. He was already headed towards the window, but he turned back to glare at Stefan.

"Then you'd better run along," Stefan said with a dismissive wave of his hand, looking at Damon until he turned and went through the window.

Elena watched Damon go, then stood and faced Stefan. Before she could say anything, he spoke. "Why are you doing this Elena? This is what we wanted – Katherine leaving you alone."

"We?" Elena shot back.

"Yeah, we," the vampire responded. "You did it to save Bonnie, but admit it Elena. You never wanted to make that stupid pledge."

"I made it, Stefan," Elena responded angrily. "It saved Bonnie and more – you know that. Anyway, Katherine has never asked me to do anything I wasn't willing to do."

"Of course not. You do everything she wants you to. You're just her minion."

He knew it was the wrong thing to say, that she hated being called a 'minion'. He had never called her that before, of course. He was trying to get back on her good side, but whatever he tried hadn't worked.

Her reaction was immediate – she was fuming. "Is that what I was when I did what you asked me to do, Stefan? Is that what I was to you?"

"No," the vampire responded quickly. "You know that. I loved you and you loved me. I never demanded your loyalty."

Elena had moved to stand close to him now. She almost poked him with her finger, but was able to hold back, as she said, "But I gave it you. I gave it to you and I gave it to Katherine."

He was trying to think of a response when she spoke again. "I haven't revoked my pledge and she hasn't told me I'm released from it. It's my job to protect her for as long as I live, so until I can tell that she is OK, I'll be looking for her. If you can't understand that, then you don't know anything about loyalty – or me."

She wasn't really glaring at him, but her face was firm as she added, "Now are you going to help Damon or not?"

He wanted to stay there, to stare her into submission, but he knew she wouldn't budge. He turned and left without speaking.

* * *

The Prisoner

Katherine was sure her captor was a vampire. She assumed he was incredibly strong, even though she hadn't been able to approach him close enough to find that out for herself. She was also sure there was a powerful witch involved and that some kind of spell was keeping her in her prison.

Not that her prison was all that awful. It was more like a hotel room – everything she would need. There were even a few bags of blood in the refrigerator – not that she trusted them enough to drink any of it.

But somehow she was bound – forced to stay inside. And when her captor did appear, he just entered the room, stopped a few feet inside the door, and spoke to her. She had quickly given up trying to attack him – whatever the spell was, it kept her several feet away from him. Yet, when he left, she could reach the door again.

He hadn't taken anything from her, not even her phone. She had heard it ringing earlier, but had let it go to voicemail when she saw that the caller was Elena.

She thought she had been in this prison for several days – though she wasn't really sure how many. She also wasn't sure why Elena would be calling her now. The human girl was only supposed to call her if she was in danger, though it really hadn't worked out that way. Still, Katherine was sure that, whatever the problem, those who were with Elena could handle it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as her captor entered her room again. This time she stayed put, this time she managed to stay seated and just glare at him.

He looked mildly amused as he spoke to her. "You didn't take her call. You always answer when she calls. Always."

"Her?" Katherine asked, trying to control her surprise.

"Elena Gilbert."

When he said no more, she asked, "How would you know?"

"I have my ways," was his infuriating reply, though she didn't really get upset until he added, "She'll come after you. She'll find you."

"No, she won't, and why would you care, anyway. She's nothing to you."

He laughed this time. "She's not nothing, but you know that better than anyone. And she will come for you – you know that better than anyone as well."

"What makes you think that?" Katherine asked angrily.

"I don't think it, I know it." He no longer seemed amused, his face was hard now. "Some of those you have posted around her aren't quite as loyal to you as you think."

"What do you want from me?" she asked, but he was already out of the room. It wasn't the first time she had asked that question, but it was the first time she thought she knew the answer.

She resolved, again, to not bring anyone else into this, if she could help it. When she was brought to her room, she was out, maybe unconscious, under a spell of some kind. When she awoke, she saw that she had missed a call from Isobel. Isobel had called again, but she ignored it, unsure of what she wanted from the other vampire. She wanted to figure out where she was, why she was here, and then she would decide who to bring into the situation, then she would know what to do.

Whatever happened, she did not want to bring Elena here; not now that the human girl seemed to be the target. She knew she would have to be careful about what she told Isobel. Elena and her mother were fairly close. Either could bring the other here, whether it was intentional or not. Now that she knew her phone was under surveillance, she wasn't going to take calls from either Elena or Isobel.

Still, she was beginning to think she needed help from somewhere.

* * *

Not Normal

"Katherine won't be happy," the vampire next to Isobel said.

Isobel was trying to ignore him. She knew he was right, but she had made her mind up. Katherine was unavailable, had been for several days. She had not responded to anybody's messages.

This was not the normal Katherine. The normal Katherine was always doing something, always controlling them. She certainly controlled those around Elena, never leaving them in place for very long . They would come back, of course, after a few days away, but she was always switching them around.

The normal Katherine always responded to Isobel's calls. Not that she answered the phone immediately, like she always did with Elena, but she would respond later that day. Katherine would not have let Isobel's calls go unanswered for days, like she had this time.

Elena's mother was not sure she was doing the right thing, though. She was tempted to talk to her daughter, to bring the subject up. But Elena was no fool, and if Isobel asked if Elena had spoken to Katherine recently, the human girl would know that something was wrong. The human girl would insist on being involved.

Whatever was up with Katherine, if she wanted Elena involved, she would have contacted Elena. Until that contact was made, Isobel knew Katherine would want Elena to be as far away from any problem as possible.

Not that Katherine would want Elena's protectors to be pulled, but there had been no sign of trouble in or near Mystic Falls for weeks. Isobel decided she needed help to find Katherine. Elena should be safe enough with Damon, Rick and her other vampire and witch friends.

* * *

The Last Resort

Damon and Stefan entered the room just in time to hear Elena say, "Please call me if you know anything. Thanks."

"Isobel, or Isobel's phone, actually," Elena said in response to Damon's quizzical look. As he nodded, she asked, "Did you find anything?"

"They got into a car, they drove away." She could hear Damon's frustration as he responded.

"Does that help?" Stefan asked sounding annoyed.

Her ex was still being a jerk, so Elena ignored him. She just held Damon's eyes as he moved to sit next to her on the bed. He pulled her into a hug saying, "We'll figure something out."

She already had a plan. First, try Isobel. That hadn't worked, so she spoke into Damon's chest as he held her. "We'll call Sarah."

"The witch that was here?" Stefan asked, this time sounding surprised.

Elena pulled herself away from Damon enough to look at Stefan and nod. "She and Katherine have…some kind of agreement. They're connected. Maybe she knows something."

Stefan was scowling again when she turned back to Damon. "Do you have her number?"

Damon couldn't help smirking, despite Elena's serious demeanor. "Nope. I don't add many witches to my contacts. I can take you there, though."

Elena sighed. She could feel Stefan glaring at Damon's comment about taking her somewhere. "Maybe, but I'd rather call first."

She had hoped to avoid asking, but stood and headed for the door, saying, "I'll bet Jeremy has her number."


	88. The Problem

_aja81writing did the beta thing on this chapter. Your're the lucky ones..._

The Darkness

"Funny you should call," Elena heard after Sarah had answered.

"Oh?" Elena said.

"Yeah. I've been thinking about going back there, to Mystic Falls. I'd like to talk to you about my family some more."

"Tell her 'hi' for me," Jeremy said, though Elena was trying to ignore him. She knew he was watching her.

"I'd like to talk to you too," Elena said. "Though I'm not sure doing it here is a good idea." She decided to get to the point. "Have you heard from Katherine recently?"

"No," Sarah answered. "I've only heard from her a couple of times since I got back from Mystic Falls, and that was just after I left there."

Elena nodded, then realized Sarah would not see it. She did not want to say anymore about Katherine with Jeremy in the room. She made the decision. "Do you mind if we, Damon and I, come to visit you?"

Sarah hesitated, and Elena wondered if it was because of Damon. She was right.

"Damon?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. I kind of think I'll need him."

"Elena, is there a problem?" the witch asked, sounding a little suspicious.

Elena glanced at Jeremy, then switched to whispering. "I'm not sure, but I want to talk about it in person." She spoke out loud again, "please, Sarah?"

She heard Sarah sigh, but the witch agreed. "Fine. You and Damon are inseparable, aren't you?" When Elena didn't immediately respond, Sarah said "Just him. No other vampires."

"Just him," Elena quickly agreed.

"So…" Sarah tentatively began, "will you bring Jeremy with you?"

Elena rolled her eyes, making sure to keep her back to Jeremy, as Sarah continued. "We've kept in touch and have been trying to come up with a way to see each other again."

"Jeremy told me," the human quickly said, "but I think Jenna needs him here for the next few days. I'd like to leave to go there now, if I can."

Elena could hear the witch's disappointment as she agreed, "Ok. You'll just stay with us, won't you? It'll be dark when you get here."

"That would be great," Elena said, glad Jeremy had not been mentioned again. "But it might not be dark when we get there, Damon will be driving."

* * *

The Protection

"You said you talk to her every day," Elena said as she left a glaring Jeremy to go through their shared bathroom into her own room, "so you can't be that upset about not going. And I think Jenna said she needed you here, anyway."

"Jenna didn't tell me anything," Jeremy yelled as his sister walked out of sight, though he didn't follow her.

Damon and Stefan did follow Elena.

"I need to pack," she said to them. "Be back in 20 minutes, Damon?"

"Yeah," Damon said, though he didn't move – he just looked at Stefan, who was glaring at Elena.

"Back in the land of lies, Elena?" Stefan said.

She had just opened her closet to pull out a suitcase, but she turned to face him. "It's for the best," she said softly.

"When did you start believing that, Elena?"

Elena tried not to react, though she felt a bit of a sting at his words. "I need you to stay close to Jenna while we're gone."

"Of course you do," Stefan said angrily. "As always. I think I need to go to the witch with you. As much as you don't want to believe it, you might need me."

Damon was tensing, so she looked for his eyes and whispered, "Damon, give us a minute, OK? Go pack and be back in 20 minutes."

She nodded in encouragement as Damon's eyes found hers. He didn't speak, but she could tell he wasn't happy as he nodded and left the room.

Stefan was still glaring at Elena as she said, "I really do need someone to stay with Jenna. I'd like it to be you."

"I'd really like to go to the witch with you." His face was still so hard, she had to look away.

She took a breath and lowered her eyes. "Do you know what Sarah has done for me, Stefan?"

"I think I got the gist of it."

Elena didn't look back to him until she had pulled her suitcase out of her closet and placed it on the bed. Then she turned to face him. "The 'gist' of it is that she has done more for me than I can ever hope to repay. She knows Damon and will let him come with me, but she doesn't want any other vampires there with me."

He was about to say something, but she interrupted. "As much as she's done for me, I'm going to do as she asks."

"I don't have to go in with you," Stefan argued. "I just want to be there."

"I know, Stefan, but please," she implored as she took a few steps toward him. "You know what's happened here before. Jenna and Jeremy need someone like you with them."

The glare was gone, though he was still obviously upset.

Elena was close to him now, speaking softly, "I know I keep asking you to do this for me, but I also know you keep doing as I ask. I will find a way to repay…"

"Don't!" he cut her off sharply. "Don't treat me like you little lapdog. I'm not."

She shook her head and started to speak, but he raised his finger to cut her off. He hesitated then said, "I'm not giving up on you, Elena."

Then he turned around and headed for the window. She could only stare at first, he had always just agreed before; but she managed to ask "Does that mean you'll do it? Will you protect Jenna for me?"

Stefan stopped, but did not turn around. He really didn't answer her question either. "Jenna will be protected," he said, just before leaving through her window.

* * *

The Elation

Elena found herself approaching Jenna again. She knew her aunt would agree, Jenna had come to trust Elena to Katherine, knowing the vampire would make sure her niece was protected. Still, it was always hard for Elena to talk about this with her aunt – even when she wasn't lying.

"Katherine needs me to go to see Sarah," Elena said to her aunt's back. "I need to leave right away," the niece added as Jenna turned from the open refrigerator to face her.

Jenna looked from Elena's eyes to the suitcase in her hand, and back. "Do you know how long you will be gone?"

Elena knew she could not pull off this ruse if she had to answer too many questions. She had it make it fast. "Just a couple of days. No biggie. I just have to talk with Sarah about a few things."

Jenna nodded. "Take Jeremy with you."

"What?" Elena asked. She had started to turn around when Jenna nodded, but now looked back, obviously confused.

"Take Jeremy with you." Jenna repeated. "He could use a couple of days away, and didn't he like that girl?"

"It's business, and I don't want you to be alone," Elena argued.

"I can stay with Rick, or he can stay here. He's not going with you, is he?"

"No, but..."

"I'm sure Jeremy can find something to do while you're working," Jenna's face was firm.

Elena wasn't happy, but decided that giving Jenna a chance to force any more information from her would be worse. "OK," she quickly said, and headed back for the stairs to tell her brother, sure she would be annoyed at his reaction to the news.

She was right. Jeremy was elated, Elena annoyed.

* * *

The Trust

It had been a long time since Katherine was so torn, so upset with herself. She couldn't believe that she had let herself fall into a trap. But here she was – a prisoner.

Her captor hadn't visited her since he taunted her earlier that day, since he had made her think that Elena was his target.

She wondered briefly why he hadn't just gone after her doppelganger directly, but then realized he probably had. Since witches were involved, she thought it was probably her captor that had gone after Elena in Mystic Falls a few weeks ago. Maybe he had gone after her at the Proctor house as well.

She needed to get a warning to Elena and the people around her, but still thought that a direct call to the girl, or to Isobel, would be unwise. She had no idea what was happening outside of her prison, but she couldn't risk waiting just to hear that her captor had gotten to Elena.

She decided she could trust Sarah with this. She and the blonde witch had an agreement, and she was sure Sarah was smart enough to warn Elena. And it might not be a bad idea to bring the Proctor witch into this, if it really was her captor that had been involved in the previous attacks on Elena.

* * *

The Surprise

"He'll be in the house with her?" Natalie asked her daughter.

"Yes," Sarah replied, "but you know him, Mom. I don't think he would cause problems for us, and you know he won't do anything Elena doesn't want him to. She won't let him do anything to cause trouble."

Natalie studied her daughter. "I know you trust her and her vampires, but…"

The older witch was interrupted by Sarah's phone. She heard her daughter say, "It'll be fine, Mom, like the last time they were here," as Sarah looked at her phone's screen to see who was calling. She saw Sarah's look of surprise as the girl left the room to take the call.

* * *

Feeling Sick

"Katherine?" Sarah asked, tentatively.

"I'm sorry to call," Katherine said, speaking very softly. "Get your witch on. My call may put you in danger."

"Wha…?" Sarah began, but she was cut off by Katherine.

"Elena Mors. Tell Elena she is released from her pledge to me."

Sarah heard nothing more, just the click as the vampire disconnected.

Sarah began to get a sick feeling in her stomach. As confused as she was about the message from Katherine, she recognized the Latin word that she and Elena had seen scrawled in her neighbor's bedroom along with Elena's name. She remembered that Nathaniel had said it referred to death.

* * *

The Return

"She's not here."

"I can see that!" Isobel snapped. Having the vampire next to her stating the obvious did not improve Isobel's mood at all. It wasn't helping her think, either.

The other vampire tried again. "We should just call the girl. She has a direct line to Katherine…"

"I know that, too!" Isobel shot back, sharply enough that the other vampire cowered. "We are not bringing her into this."

The vampires that were with the doppelganger's birth mother had gotten the message. They kept quiet as Isobel thought.

It didn't take her long to decide that trying to find Katherine by going to her last known locations wasn't working. Katherine was just gone. Isobel would need something else to find her.

She didn't think she was on good enough terms with any witch to ask for a locator spell, she actually owed Bonnie a favor already. But Alaric would be able to get the help of a witch - if she could get his help.

By the time the darkness came, Isobel had made her decision. They were going back to Mystic Falls.

* * *

The Problem

Elena was slightly amused as they made the trek from the Proctor driveway to Sarah's front door. It was dark after all by the time they arrived – it had been farther to Sarah's house than Elena ever imagined.

The front door was already open by the time the group reached the porch. Natalie remained inside, though she was at least smiling, as Sarah stepped through the door and greeted Elena with a hug, Elena being the first to reach the door.

"Elena," Sarah whispered while hugging the human girl, "I think there's a…" Sarah cut herself off and gasped.

Elena took a step back so she could see Sarah's face. The blonde witch was obviously surprised, but that expression seemed to last only a fraction of a second. Then Sarah wore an expression that Elena could only describe as beaming, and it made the witch look heartbreakingly beautiful.

Elena had to look behind her, and Damon, who had just put his arm around her, to see what Sarah was looking at.

"You said he wasn't coming." Sarah whispered as Jeremy tentatively approached the porch.

Elena was speechless as the blonde witch passed her and pulled Jeremy into a hug.

The human girl scowled. "Seriously? Sarah, you barely know him and he's sixteen years old. How old are you?"

"Oh," Sarah said, stepping back from Jeremy. "I was hoping for 15 or less, but maybe…"

Elena drew in a quick breath and was about to express her disgust, when Sarah said, "You're really going to play the age-difference card Elena? Really? How much older than you is Damon?"

Elena hesitated, then began "That doesn't …"

"It's not like we're getting engaged or anything," Sarah interrupted.

"But you said you were going to start looking for a ring, right?" Jeremy interjected, his serious face starting to grin as he watched Elena's expression.

"Damon, a little help?" Elena begged.

"I guess I could put them in touch with a jeweler I know…"

"Damon!"

"Come on, Elena," the vampire said. "Watching you watch them is the most entertainment I've had in…" he let is voice trail off and tried to look like he was trying to remember.

"You should come inside," Natalie said with a nod of her head. She was still inside the door. She stepped aside as Sarah pulled Jeremy inside, holding onto his arm just above his elbow. The couple went towards the kitchen. Elena watched them, and was still scowling as she and Damon entered the home.

"So this is why her eyes were sparkling when she arrived home from Mystic Falls." Natalie said as she closed the door behind her.

When Elena gave the older Proctor witch a quizzical look, Natalie continued, "You have no idea how hard it's been for her, Elena. She's been afraid to get close to anyone since her father left. But your brother already knows about witches, and he isn't afraid of them. She's been happier lately."

Elena nodded and looked back towards the kitchen from which Sarah was emerging.

"I told him you'd make something for him," the blonde witch said to her mother. As Natalie nodded and headed for the kitchen, Sarah added a soft "Make it good, Mom."

Elena could only sigh as Sarah turned towards her, the witch's face changing to a serious expression. Elena took Damon's hand as Sarah approached and told the doppelganger "I think there's a problem, Elena."


	89. What He Has

_aj81writing coninues to beta these chapters. Her kindness continues, as does my gratitude... _

The Phones

"I wish you'd recorded it." Elena told Sarah. The witch could see Elena's disappointment, but there was something else in the human's expression. Hope?

Elena suddenly leaned forward. "Show me the number she called from."

When Sarah found the number on her phone and passed it to Elena, the human nodded. "This is it – this is the number the phone Katherine gave me calls when I try to reach her. She called you today?"

Sarah nodded, eyes fixed on Elena's changing expression. Now the brunette looked confused.

Elena turned to Damon. "She called Sarah. She didn't take my call, but she called Sarah."

They were sitting on a couch, Sarah in a nearby chair. Elena leaned back and let Damon put his arm around her. She still held the phone, was still looking at the number on the screen. "She's never just not answered me before, and now she calls Sarah?"

"Maybe it's because she released you from your pledge," Sarah offered, though she knew that it was unlikely. She had been nearby several times as Katherine and Elena interacted. Neither would ignore the other as she spoke, or called. And Sarah would never have believed that Katherine would release Elena from her pledge. Something was wrong.

Elena was just shaking her head. "She wouldn't do it like that, and anyway, what did she mean when she said 'mors'?"

Sarah shrugged. "She said her call would put me in danger. It sounds like you're in danger as well."

Elena was just leaning against Damon now, one of his arms around her, while she held his other hand as it lay on his lap. Sarah's phone was in her other hand. Elena shook her head again, obviously thinking.

"She wouldn't have pulled the 'idiots' from around me if she thought I was in danger."

"So it's just me," the witch said. "Great."

Elena sat up suddenly and looked at Sarah, then Damon, "Damon?" She asked tentatively as the vampire nodded.

He said what both were thinking. "She's in trouble. She's either trying to send you a message or trying to keep you out of it."

"Trying to keep me out of it," the doppelganger said as she pulled her own phone out. Sarah's phone had gone dark, but Elena refreshed it and turned her own phone on. The others watched her and were surprised at what she said when she spoke into her phone.

"Caroline?"

* * *

The Witch and the Girlfriend

Isobel was never all that pleasant to be around, but the vampires with her noticed that it was getting worse. Before the sun was up in the morning, she was looking for Alaric. He wasn't at his home or at the school. That left only one place he would be, in her mind anyway, and she was visibly irritated as she approached the door of the Gilbert house.

"Oh!" Jenna said in surprise as she answered the door. "Are you here to see Elena?"

Isobel shook her head and said, "No, I need to see if Rick is here," at the same time Jenna said "Because she's not here. I think she'll be back…"

"Not here!" Isobel yelled as soon as what Jenna was saying registered in her mind. "Where is she?"

"She went to see Sarah," Jenna said, hesitantly, a little confused and Isobel's reaction. "Katherine sent her."

Alaric was behind Jenna now, but moved to pull her behind him. "Isobel, what's going on?"

Isobel had been glaring at Jenna, but softened as she faced Alaric. "We need to talk," she hissed, nodding her head to tell him that he should join her outside.

Alaric looked behind him and whispered "One second," to Jenna.

"Is that not where she went?" Jenna asked, though she remained in place. "Jeremy's with her."

"I'm sure that's where they are," Isobel answered, her voice a little too harsh for Alaric. He pulled her off the porch and into the yard.

"What's going on?" He asked Isobel. "Did Elena not go there?"

"I don't know," Isobel said. She looked like she was thinking, but Alaric could tell she was tense. Had Katherine really talked to Elena?

Alaric glanced back at the door and was relieved to see that Jenna was not visible. "You can't just call you're guys and ask? Surely they have …."

"We're the ones that are supposed to be with Elena!" Isobel snapped, though she kept her voice low. "Did Katherine really tell her to go there?"

Alaric shrugged. "Elena didn't talk to me. "Stefan did. He said he wanted me to stay here because they would be gone for a few days. Then Jenna asked me to do the same."

"Stefan." Isobel nearly spat the word. "That didn't sound wrong to you? When has Stefan ever gone with Elena while she was doing something for Katherine? Or at all, lately?"

"You don't think…" he began.

"Katherine's missing," Isobel interrupted. "If Elena told your girlfriend that Katherine sent her, it was a lie."

"Why would Elena lie?"

"Because she already knows," Isobel deduced. "We need a witch," she added softly to herself.

"Just call Elena." Alaric suggested, turning back towards the house.

"No!" Isobel quickly said, grabbing his arm to stop him. "We don't know what's going on, but if it's anything like recent history…well, you're the teacher."

Alaric was going to tell her off, but nodded as he understood what she was saying. "Someone's after Elena."

Isobel nodded. "Can you get a witch to help us? Can you call Bonnie Bennett?"

He nodded as he turned around, saying, "My phone's inside."

"Don't tell your girlfriend." Isobel said quickly as he walked towards the door.

"Of course not," Alaric said sarcastically. "Why would I tell her that her niece is a liar and her entire family is danger?"

"Just get the witch here," Isobel called to him as he stepped onto the porch.

* * *

The Stupidity

"Remind me never to get into your car again," Bonnie said, trying to stretch herself while pulling the passenger seat into an upright position.

"Sleep well?" Stefan asked.

"No!" Bonnie said. "If my dad knew I was sleeping in a car with some guy while I was supposed to be with Elena…"

"You're near Elena," the vampire said. "And I'm not just 'some guy'."

"You are to my dad."

Stefan smirked – something she had never seen on him before. "Worried about what he'll think?"

Bonnie snorted. "Even he knows you only have eyes for Elena, but if he finds out where I am right now, he'll go after you – and I'll help him take you down."

"Just keep it between us," Bonnie added, releasing a breath and shaking her head. She looked through the window at the house she had visited a few weeks ago with Elena and Alaric. "Anything?"

Stefan shook his head. "Not yet."

"I should just go talk to them," Bonnie muttered.

"We weren't invited," the vampire said. "We're not…" He was interrupted by Bonnie's phone.

"Alaric," she said, pulling the phone to her hear after glancing at the screen.

"Hi" Bonnie answered a little tentatively. Alaric had called her before, but it was rare.

"You OK?" he asked

"Sure," the witch replied. Then when he hesitated briefly, she continued, "What's up?"

"We need a favor, Bonnie. A spell."

"Spell?"

"A locator spell. We need to find someone – Katherine, actually"

Bonnie looked at Stefan as she processed the information.

"But I'm with Elena," Bonnie said, stretching the truth. She knew he wouldn't know where she was. "She hasn't asked me for a spell," Bonnie added, wondering if Elena was inside asking for one from Sarah.

"Not Elena," Alaric said quickly. "Isobel needs the spell." Then her statement that she was not with Elena registered in his mind. "You're with Elena and Jeremy?"

"Jeremy's here?" Bonnie asked Stefan in surprise, speaking softly and holding the phone so Alaric would not hear. He just shrugged and said, "Not that I know."

"Look," Bonnie told Alaric "I'm at Sarah's house. So is Elena. If Isobel wants Katherine, she should just call her."

"She's with Elena." Bonnie heard Alaric tell someone.

"Then we're done here." Bonnie heard Isobel tell Alaric. "We'll have to go to Elena. You coming?"

Bonnie heard a hesitation, then Alaric said into the phone. "Got to go," and was gone.

Stefan looked expectantly at the witch as she put her phone away.

"Isobel's coming," she said flatly.

"Elena tried to call Isobel earlier. She didn't answer."

"We'll she's coming now," Bonnie said, then, getting out of the car, she added, "This is stupid."

"You're not invited!" Stefan called after her as he watched the witch walk towards the Proctor house. He remained in his car, watching her from a distance.

* * *

Civility and Surprise

"Sleep well?" Damon asked, standing as Elena emerged from the hall and entered the Proctor living room.

Elena nodded and pulled him into a hug.

"The sheriff called." Elena whispered. "She was able to trace the call from Katherine to Sarah. It's time to go."

"Good," Damon said, still hugging her. He wasn't going to let her go until she released him.

"I want Sarah to come with us, but we need a way to make Jeremy stay." Elena finally released him as her phone rang.

"Where did Liz trace the call to?" Damon asked as Elena looked at the screen. She didn't answer Damon. She just scowled and pulled the phone to her head.

"I called you hours ago. Where have you been?"

Isobel's response was icy. "I suppose it's too much to expect for you to be civil to your mother."

Elena sighed, then turned to look at the door as Sarah opened it. She had heard the knock somewhere in the back of her mind, but had been paying so much attention to Damon, then her phone, that she hadn't noticed the witch entering the living room or walking past her.

She was startled to see who was at the door, though it was Sarah who spoke to the visitor.

"Bonnie?"

"Elena!" the doppelganger heard from her phone as both witches looked at her.

* * *

What he Has

Katherine moved at top speed towards him as soon as the door opened, but she just hit the wall of the spell again as he entered the room. Though she was frustrated, she managed to match the smirk on the face of the other vampire.

When he just looked at her for a few seconds, she asked "What?"

"She's gone to the rebel Proctor witches. Everything is falling into place."

Katherine knew she was giving away too much as she sighed and lowered her eyes, because he said. "She should be here anytime now."

She managed to return her face to a glare as she lifted her eyes to meet his. "So why aren't you afraid?"

His smirk remained. "Of Elena Gilbert?"

"You've sent vampires after her before. Did any return to you?" She thought his smirk faltered a little. "Any humans or witches that returned did so because she let them go. I would think you would be terrified."

He was glaring back at her now, but turned to leave. "This time I have you."

Katherine wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that, but she was sure she wouldn't like it.


End file.
